Legacy
by JaphirTheGreenDragon
Summary: Princess Rheesa Black has always been a strong girl. Now, with her kingdom thrown into civil war, she must rise to be the Hero her people need. Collecting allies would not be easy, but it was something she needed to do to dethrone her tyrant brother. Please review and let me know what you think! All original Fable characters, setting and picture copyright: Lionhead Studios.
1. A New Hero

It was late morning in the Bowerstone Castle. Sunlight streamed through the large windows of Princess Rheesa's room. Jasper, her personal butler and friend, had already begun opening the curtains.

"Such a dreadfully sorry sight..." the man sighed. Rheesa, who had still been sleeping, groaned and rolled over, "Such a beautiful day to waste in bed, don't you agree?"

"Oh go away..." she muttered. Jasper ignored her, as usual, and continued to open the curtains.

"Now that is hardly the response of a princess. I am afraid it is time to rise." he said, "With your permission, I shall wake your sleeping companion..."

He walked over to Rheesa's bed and drew back the covers. Sora, her playful collie, stretched and rolled up into a sitting position and barked happily. Jasper leaned back and chuckled.

"Ah, yes. One's heart soars before such regal bearing. I trust you both slept well, you have a busy day ahead."

Rheesa smiled down at her dog and sighed, resigning herself to getting out of bed. She pushed him off the bed and he jumped up, whining, "If I have to get up then so do you." Rheesa stood and walked over to her dresser.

Jasper watched the two and let out an exasperated sigh, "What a pair of... the kingdom is doomed." The princess grinned back at him and retreated behind a changing screen.

"So what's happening today?" she asked, throwing on her favorite outfit. It consisted of a pair of light pants, a blue half-skirt and a loose-sleeved blouse.

"Master Elliot is most eager to speak with you and is waiting in the garden."

"All right, I'll go now." Rheesa said, heading towards the door.

"Oh and I would recommend avoiding your brother today. King Logan is rumored to be in an ill temper." Jasper turned and began to tidy up the room, "Have a good day, madam."

"Hmm... Will do. Bye, Jasper!" she exited out the door that led to the gardens, wondering what was wrong with her brother. Descending the steps, she found Elliot waiting for her. Elliot had been her childhood friend for as long as she could remember. As they grew up, the boy had fallen in love with her but Rheesa could never see him as more than her best friend. Often times, she thought of him as the little brother she never had.

"Rhees!" he greeted.

"I told you not to call me that! Rhees sounds like bees and bees buzz, which is very annoying." the princess complained. Elliot had to laugh at her reasoning.

"Of course, my beautiful princess! Anyway, I thought you'd never get up. Did Jasper tell you I wanted to speak to you?"

"Yes, did something happen?" Rheesa asked, eager to change the subject.

"There's a rumor going around that your brother had a factory worker executed this morning. I'm sure it's only a rumor but you can imagine how people are talking." Elliot explained.

"Executed? Why?"

"I don't know... maybe we should talk to Walter. He may know what's going on."

"Yeah, I was going to go see him for training after I talked to you. He's been pretty obsessed with training lately, not that I'm complaining, but still." Rheesa and Elliot made their way to the training room where Walter could usually be found. The large man was indeed there, polishing his well-worn pistol. The two teens tried to ask him about the rumor but he didn't know anything useful. Elliot scampered off to see what he could find out on his own while Rheesa stayed for her training session. After a bit of target practice, they began to spar. Rheesa loved sparring, especially when they didn't use weapons. She was better with a sword but hand to hand was just more fun. An hour passed and both Rheesa and Walter were sweating by the end of it. Rheesa had managed to break Walter's sword so he called the match. As they were grabbing towels, Elliot returned.

"Walter! You have to come quickly, both of you!" he exclaimed, bursting through the door.

"What's happened?"

"Outside the castle! It looks like a demonstration..." the boy looked panicked.

Walter looked down, his eyebrows knitting in concern, "This is not good..."

They followed Elliot to the castle's Great Hall, "They're just inside the castle grounds..." he told them.

"Balls," Walter swore, "I should have known this would happen. I don't think they realize what your brother is capable of. This isn't going to end well..." The group looked out one of the large windows to see the crowd outside, "It's been a long time since Logan listened to me but I should find him. Stay here." the old soldier commanded. He turned away and went up the steps toward the war room. Rheesa looked back out the window, then at Elliot.

"I don't like this... Come on, I want to know what Logan's planning." They followed Walter up the stairs after he had gone into the room and the door had shut behind him. Crouching, Rheesa pressed her ear carefully against the wood.

"-think about what you're doing, Logan." Walter's voice drifted out.

"I'm protecting the interests of the people. Do not question me again." Logan replied. There was a small shuffling noise as Logan turned away and spoke to someone else, "You will shoot to kill. Start with the ringleaders, and if necessary, continue with the crowd."

"This is wrong, you can't do this-" Walter cut back in. Then there was a rattling noise and a thud, Walter grunted as he hit the ground.

"Never tell me what I can't do." Logan said cruelly. Rheesa had heard all she needed to and ignoring Elliot's fearful warnings, she opened the door. Walter was on his knees in front of her brother with two of his elite guard standing behind him. Logan turned and scowled at her.

"What are you doing here? The war room is no place for a child. Leave now."

Walter looked up at her, horrified, "You can't kill those people. I won't let you." she said, staring up at him.

"No, wait..." Walter started.

"Enough." the king said, "How dare you turn against me-"

"I'm not turning against you, Logan, I'm disagreeing. Siblings are allowed to do that, royalty or not." Rheesa told him.

"Perhaps you believe you should be the one making these decisions? You really wish to defend these traitors? Then so be it." He held up and hand and motioned to his guards, "Let's see how you do. Take my sister and her friend to the throne room, we shall settle this matter officially." One grabbed Elliot and the one that went to grab Rheesa was swatted away.

"I will go by myself, thank you." she stated. Rheesa cast a glare at her brother before striding out of the room, a freed Elliot in tow. They were 'escorted' to the throne room where Logan met them again, sitting on the throne.

"Here come the saviors of the people" he announced, slumped like a total ass, "Come closer, sister." Rheesa held her head up and walked past Elliot, who stared at her helplessly, "Today you have disappointed me beyond measure. I have been betrayed by my own blood. And a filthy spy."

"We did nothing wrong-" Elliot started.

"Punishment must be apportioned where it belongs." Logan said, standing.

"Punishment for what exactly? Disagreeing with the 'Oh so benevolent King'? I am no longer a child and neither are you." Rheesa spat.

"Yes, you are no longer a child and it is time I stopped treating you as one." He began to descend the steps towards her, "You wished to save the traitors who had gathered outside the castle this morning. Very well, you shall have your chance to save them." He gestured to the guards at the door and they brought in two men and a very frightened looking woman, "Here stand the leaders of the violent mob. I will give you a choice. Who will be punished? These strangers? Or this boy?" His eyes flicked towards Elliot, "The sentence will be death."

Rheesa's breath caught in her throat. He couldn't... She gritted her teeth, something was very wrong. Her brother used to love the people of Albion. He had always said that what made a land was its people and that they were the most interesting part. When he was a teenager, Logan would sneak out of the castle to visit the local pubs and listen to peoples stories. He would often share them excitedly with Rheesa when he snuck back in. To Rheesa he had always been larger than life, a true People's King, but now all she saw was his petty hatred and she had no idea where it came from.

"Pick me." Elliot's voice ripped her out of her reverie. She turned to look at him, not believing her ears.

"What?"

"Pick me. You can't let all of those people die, you have to pick me." Elliot sounded more sure than he ever had.

"No, I won't do this!" Rheesa growled.

"If you can't choose, then I will. They will all die." Logan said, glaring at her, "So tell me sister, what are you willing to sacrifice to do the right thing?"

"You ASS!" She screamed, "You know what you're doing is wrong yet you do it anyway? What kind of stupid ass-" she stopped herself short and just looked at him, "...Why? Why are you doing this?"

"Because you are no longer a child."

"That's like saying 'because I said so'! Not good enough, tell me why!" Rheesa raised her voice again.

"Enough." Logan commanded, "Choose. Or I will."

Rheesa glanced hopelessly at the rioters then at Elliot, her fists clenching and unclenching at her sides. He took one of her hands and looked her straight in the eyes, "You have to pick me." She choked back tears and nodded. The die was cast. She looked at Logan, hatred burning in her eyes.

"Elliot." The bastard smirked and nodded to the guards. Rheesa looked back at Elliot and felt a tear slide down her face. He wiped it off gently, smiling at her.

"It's all right. You did what you had to do. Never forget what he's done... and that I love you." He squeezed her hand and the guards roughly grabbed him and dragged him away. Rheesa whipped around, ready to punch Logan across the face. However, Walter was too fast for her. He grabbed her arm and held her back as she fought to get at Logan. Logan was unimpressed, a look of vague satisfaction on his face, as he did not even flinch.

"I will never forgive you for this." Rheesa spat.

"Good. Then you will never forget it."

"Have _you_ forgotten, brother? You told me once that that scar on your lip would serve as a reminder to you of your promise. _Have you forgotten?_" Logan's eyes widened in shock for a moment, then narrowed in anger but he composed himself and turned away curtly.

"Escort my sister to her chambers. Now."

* * *

As soon as her door shut, Rheesa screamed in anger and anguish, slamming her fists down on her desk. She violently swept everything off and watched with a small bit of satisfaction as the inkwell smashed on one of the curtains. Jasper was worriedly watching, trying to avoid any missiles coming his way. Rheesa threw, smashed, and tore a few more things before finally burying her head in her hands and sobbing uncontrollably. Sora sat next to her and put his head in her lap, trying to comfort his mistress.

"You mustn't blame yourself, madam. I don't think any of us realized just how far he'd fallen into madness." Jasper said softly. Rheesa rubbed at her face, and looked up at the man.

"I have to do something. I can't just stay here." she said, almost guiltily. Just then the door opened and Walter came in.

"You're not. We leave the castle tonight." he said, "This kingdom needs nothing less than a revolution. It needs a new leader. It needs a Hero." He stared directly at Rheesa, "It's time to see if you're ready."

"Ready?"

"To be your mother's daughter." Rheesa stared back at him for a moment then stood, a whole new look in her eyes.

"Very good, I will pack some essentials." Jasper said, snapping into action.

"There's no time. We take nothing." Walter said, stopping the butler in his tracks.

"Not even... Pyjamas?" he argued.

"Come on, we must leave now." They began to make their way out of the castle, but instead of going out, Walter led them into the gardens.

"There's something sinister about these gardens at night..." Jasper commented.

"Where are we going? I thought we were leaving the castle?" Rheesa asked.

"We are. But there's something we must do first." He approached the entrance to the mausoleum at the edge of the gardens, "It's time we paid our respects to Albion's last Hero."

"I never thought I'd enter this place again." Jasper said.

Walter grunted, "You should have known better."

* * *

Rheesa walked silently into the tomb. This was where her parents were buried. Every step she took brought up a different memory and, though she no longer cried for them, her heart still hurt at the thought. She and Jasper stood next to the two sarcophagi while Walter knelt by the wall behind them.

"Albion has been too long without a Hero, but I'm hoping it will have one soon." He picked out one stone and pushed it. It offered little resistance and slid back into the wall. There was a rumbling noise and the hands of the statue between the sarcophagi fell. Resting in the palms was Rheesa's mother's treasure. The Guild Seal. Her mother had told her how the Seal had power and chose only those who have the potential to become legends, the true Heroes. At Walter's urging, Rheesa picked it up. For a second nothing happened. Then she felt the Seal grow hot. It began to vibrate with power and Rheesa couldn't let go. She looked down at it and a blinding light issued forth, completely surrounding her. She closed her eyes for only a second and when she opened them she was standing at the end of a strange path. Her vision blurred around the edges as if she were in a dream. Before her stood a woman in strange red and white robes.

"Who are you?" Rheesa asked cautiously.

"I am Theresa."


	2. Always Another Step

Rheesa sat on the railing of the Mistpeak monorail station. Her feet dangled about 50 or 60 feet above the cavern below but she didn't care, she liked perching. Walter sat nearby on a bench with Sora as they waited for the monorail. They had already gotten Sabine, the tiny mountain dweller, to fight for them and were going to soon be on their way to Bowerstone. Walter said that they needed to make a small detour first but wouldn't tell Rheesa where exactly.

"I can never get over this place... Twenty years ago it was just a damp, murky void in the middle of nowhere. Now people queue up to get dangled across it in a steel box." Walter said looking past Rheesa into the dark recesses of the cavern. Then a glow began to appear from the far end of the cave, "And here it comes." As they watched it get closer Rheesa felt an overwhelming feeling to shout, scream, do something. Soon enough, she knew why. The monorail got about 30 feet from the platform and something began to go wrong. The car ground to a halt and hung for a moment, then one of the back wheels exploded. It heaved to one side as the passengers inside were thrown about. It was now dangling on just one of its supporters, which didn't last long either. Another explosion sent the entire car crashing down. Rheesa leapt back onto the platform, half to dodge a flying piece of metal and half to keep herself from falling.

"Come on, we have to get down there!" Walter shouted. They ran down to the maintenance lift as fast as they could, "This must be the way down... We have to find those people, see if there's any survivors." the old soldier was hesitant to get into the lift but did it anyway. Once they were down, he couldn't get out fast enough. The wreckage was just past there, Rheesa could see the flames. They ran towards the fire and began to hear weird cackling noises.

"I'd know those sounds anywhere..." Walter said, voice filling with dread, "Maybe the monorail falling wasn't an accident after all!" The two of them rounded the corner and were met by a large group of crazy little mutated beasties called Hobbes playing in the wreckage.

"Hobbes! I knew it. Don't leave any of the little bastards alive!" he shouted, drawing his sword. Rheesa drew her own and began to cleave her way through the vermin. They were surprisingly squishy compared to their bony arms and legs. They cleared out the immediate area but Walter knew there would be more. With hobbes, there was always more. Rheesa kept her sword out as they continued through the cave. They encountered a few more groups of Hobbes as they went, Sora stayed close at her heels. Finally they found themselves inside an ancient ruin of some sort. It was like a whole city had been down there once. Rheesa walked into a large arena and as soon as she passed the threshold a barrier flickered into life between her and Walter. Sora had almost been caught in the middle but scampered over just in time. A number of hobbes lined the arena and a magic-using hobbe blocked the exit.

"Princess!" Walter shouted. Rheesa turned to find a bunch of angry hobbes approaching from behind. She readied her sword, knowing she would be in for quite the fight. Sora barked jumping back and forth. The hobbes rushed in to attack, stupidly bumping into each other when they got too close. Rheesa sliced at them mercilessly, chopping one's head off here and an arm off there. She ran one right through its stomach and kicked at another somewhere behind her. One of the things caught her off guard from the side and clawed viciously across her chest. Bright red blood soaked into the tattered remains of her blouse. She looked down, not expecting to see as much blood as there was, "RHEESA!" Walter shouted. His voice was so loud that it startled the hobbe casting the barrier. The old soldier smashed through the weakened barrier just as Rheesa fell. He roared through the rest of the hobbes that surrounded her and soon they were all dead. He knelt next to the fallen princess and cradled her head in his arms, "Rheesa?"

"Walter, I'm fine... I just lost a little too much blood. I've ... gotten wounds like this before. Heroes heal fast remember?" Rheesa coughed. They waited for a moment and nothing seemed to be happening. In battles previous, Rheesa would actually be able watch her skin knit back together but something was wrong.

"All right, I'm stopping that bleeding." Walter said producing some bandages from his pack.

"I don't know... Something is suppressing my power... I can't tap into my Will." Rheesa muttered. Not being able to access her Will power meant not being able to get to the Sanctuary. Walter bandaged her up the best he could, which considering the wounds placement, was difficult. As she attempted to fix her tattered blouse for a little decency Walter searched the bodies around them.

"What... is this?" he gasped, holding up what had the resemblance of a glove. The tips were viciously spiked and it shone faintly blue. It was also coated in Rheesa's blood.

"That. Would be what I call horrifying. An evil looking weapon coated in their own blood is not something someone wants to see. Still, it is interesting." Rheesa said, pale from blood loss. Helping her up, Walter fervently hoped they were close to the exit. And even then he hoped they were close to the Fort once they were out. They trudged slowly up and, to Walter's relief, out of the caverns. The cave mouth opened into Mourningwood, a vast mire of ghouls and moss. Rheesa's wound did not seem to be getting any better but it was bandaged well enough and she could walk on her own now. They picked their way carefully through the swamp and soon came within sight of a large fort. Walter sighed with relief and ran up to the gate.

"Cease your movement! Be you men or be you hollow men?" a soldier from atop the gate called down.

"Have you gone daft boy? Open up the doors."

"Walter? Is that you?"

"The very same. Now let us in! My friend here is badly injured."

"Right, yes, of course! Open the gates! Tell Major Swift that Walter's here!" the man shouted down at the other side. The gates swung open and Walter and Rheesa walked through. Two men stood just inside the gate, waiting. One had a very large moustache while the other was quite the handsome man.

"There he is! The one and only Major Swift!" Walter greeted the man with the moustache.

"Walter! What the blazes are you doing here?" Major Swift replied.

"We came looking for you. I have a proposition."

"You came all this way to 'proposition' us? And I thought you were here to save us from the legions of the damned." the second man joked.

"Benn Finn! It's good to see you! I take it the legends about this place are true then?"

"I'll say. We-" The major began to turn to lead them around the camp but was stopped by Rheesa, who had nearly collapsed. The bandages around her chest were soaked through with blood.

"Damn it, of all times to not be able to-" Rheesa sighed irritably.

"Hey, all right there? Holy- that's a lot of blood..." Ben Finn said, noticing her chest.

"Princess!" Walter knelt beside her, "I'm running out of clean bandages... Does this fort have any medical supplies?"

"Very few, though you are fully welcome to them."

"Just give me a new set of bandages and I'll be fine." Rheesa waved away Walter's concern.

"Have you been... bandaging yourself?" Ben asked.

"No, Walter's been doing it for me. I can't really move my arms too much, why?"

"Well... considering where the wound is... No, never mind. Would you like me to? I'm pretty sure I have _gentler_ hands than old Walter over here." The blonde winked at her.

"Ben. Don't even. I think I can manage." Walter warned.

"Why not? I'm sure he's right..." Rheesa said, cluelessly. Flirting had never been her strong point. She had only ever been around Elliot and he didn't even flirt. He just blatantly declared his love for her. Walter just sighed and the captain's jaw dropped, glancing incredulously at Walter.

"No." the old soldier said, ending the issue. Rheesa sat between the two of them, completely lost, "Come on, I'll fix your wrappings... _Away_ from the captain." Ben pouted slightly and turned away, muttering something about people being too damn protective. After her bandages were replaced, Rheesa was sent to find Captain Finn again so he could show her up to the mortar. She refused to sit by idly because of a little scratch. She found him chatting with a few other men towards the back of the Fort.

"Ahh, and there she is all bandaged up. What the blazes gave you that wound anyway?" he asked turning to her.

"Hobbes. Or rather, _a_ hobbe with a nasty little piece of metalwork on its grubby little fingers." Rheesa shrugged, "I think it was... enchanted somehow. I'm cut off from my magic."

"Don't care for them I take it? Me, I think they're rather adorable." Ben joked.

"Adorable? They're vicious! Like ... little chihuahuas!" Ben just stared at her for a moment then he burst into laughter as she shook her head at herself, smiling, "Okay, anyway, you're supposed to show me to the mortar, it's where I'm going to be stationed." He shot her a quizzical look, then shrugged.

"Right then. This way, Princess."

Rheesa was taught how to use the mortar, which she absolutely sucked at. The captain and her loader, Jammy, were driven into fits of laughter at her frustration. Their fun, however, was cut short as droves of hollow men emerged from the graveyards just past the Fort. Rheesa called another soldier to take her place, she was utterly useless on that thing, and drew her rifle. She had heard her mother tell stories of hollow men, shambling, desiccated corpses that could likely fight even better than when they were alive. Which was vaguely sad as they fought at about the speed of a sloth. Rheesa hung back and fired from a distance while Ser Walter and the other soldiers tried to hold the front line. Some got through eventually and she was forced to draw her sword. One of the hollow men charged her, moving faster than she expected, and she just barely parried to blow. Raising her sword, she sliced off its head and turned to the next. The hero caught the creature's sword arm with her left hand and jerked it towards her. Bringing up her right she smashed it in the face with the hilt of her blade. Another group quickly surrounded her. They didn't have weapons, they just grabbed at her, trying to drag her down. She fought back as many as she could but there was always another to replace one she had killed. Suddenly a resounding _crack_ split the air and three of the hollow men slumped to the ground. Rheesa glanced to her left, where the shot came from, and saw Ben Finn grinning at her.

"Did you see that? I mean... Wow! Three! That's gonna be a legend someday."

Rheesa grinned back and forced her attention back to the hollow men, a new energy inside her. She easily killed those surrounding her and ran to the aid of some other soldiers. There were new cries coming from the other side of the Fort. Rheesa heard Major Swift shout;

"Lieutenant Simmons I specifically instructed you to remain buried!" She looked over to see a hollow man crawling out of one of the graves inside the fort.

"Doesn't anyone follow orders anymore?" the captain yelled.

Rheesa ran toward the fracas. This hollow man was larger than the rest and much faster. She distracted it easily, shooting at it with her pistol. Until finally it got close enough to draw her sword on. The thing raised its axe and brought it crashing down at Rheesa's head. She deftly dove underneath it and drove her blade into its stomach. The lieutenant looked down at the hilt protruding from its body then looked at Rheesa. Letting out an unearthly roar, it continued attacking. Rheesa swore and retreated quickly. She perched on top of the crumbling statue in the center of the Fort to reassess the situation. The hollow man didn't give her much time, almost immediately advancing toward her. She looked fervently around her for something she could use to hit it with and saw a soldier standing at the base of the statue, fighting with a lute. She whistled to get his attention and tossed her pistol down.

"This might help!" she said as she leaned over to snag the lute. The princess turned back to face the creature charging her, now less than ten feet away, and leapt. Letting out a fierce war cry, Rheesa brought the lute across the things face, hard. Effectively blowing its entire head off. She hit the ground in a roll, to protect her chest as much as she could, and sat there for a moment, trying to calm the shaking in her limbs. She could hear cries around her, the battle was won.

"That was pretty damn impressive." Captain Finn said, offering her a hand, "So your mother wasn't the last Hero of Albion after all."

"Impressive, maybe for a Hero. Sodding _impossible_ for anyone else!" Walter said. Ben smirked and helped Rheesa up.

"How many other people do you think could say they killed a lieutenant hollow man with a lute?"

"We did it!" Major Swift said, echoing his men from around the Fort, "No, really, we did!"

"Well, Ser Walter. You didn't do too bad... for an old man." Ben quipped, good-naturedly.

"Neither did you. For a buffoon."

The four of them laughed, grateful for the night to be over.


	3. Trust

It had been about a month since Princess Rheesa and Walter arrived in Bowerstone. Rheesa had never been in the industrial part of the city before, having lived in the castle. Her mother used to take her and her brother out to other towns and on escapades into the wilderness but had not thought it wise to go into Bowerstone Industrial. Rheesa and Walter found the head of the Resistance, Page, in the sewers, where the bulk of the Resistance was. Their welcome had been far from friendly but eventually they were allowed in. Page, an intense, dark-skinned woman, didn't trust Rheesa. She had grown up poor in Industrial and had worked her way up through the Resistance.

Now, Rheesa had been working to help better the city. To gain Page's trust. The map in the Sanctuary helped her find people that needed help easily and soon all of Bowerstone was whispering. Page had sent a messenger to ask her back to the base.

Just as she was nearing the door Major Swift came out, "Ah! If it isn't the Rebel Princess! I was just on my way to report to your brother, and see what I can find out about his troop movement."

"Thank you, Major. Umm... If it isn't too much trouble... Do you think you could let me know how he looks? Like how he's doing, if he's okay." Rheesa fumbled for the right words.

"Not a problem, dear girl." He smiled and bowed slightly. The man strode away, his large moustache bouncing as he went. Rheesa waved, smiling back. She started off again towards Page's office and heard a few voices bickering inside.

"-No really! I downed three hollow men with one shot, it's true!" Ben Finn was saying.

"I've never trusted a soldier in my life, I'm not going to start now." Page snapped. Rheesa entered quietly, trying not to interrupt though it might have been preferable.

"Wh- Will you tell her Walter?" The captain turned, pleadingly.

"Hey, I'm not getting involved." Walter said.

"Look, here she is now. You can ask her yourself. You'll back me up, right Princess?"

"Oh, give it a rest!" Page sighed, exasperated.

"Fine! I'll just stand here quietly then shall I?" Ben pouted. Page just sighed again and turned to greet Rheesa.

"You know, for a princess, you're a pretty decent person. People out there are starting to believe in you."

"I knew you two would get along, in the end." Walter said.

"Thank you for taking an interest in my social life, but we have even bigger problems now."

"Reaver." the man said simply.

"He's been bleeding the city dry for years now, but it's never been this bad." Page explained, "We decided it was time to hit back."

"I assume that didn't turn out as planned?" Rheesa asked.

"A small group of fighters managed to get inside his mansion but they never made it out." Walter continued.

"I believe they're alive. You're going to help me find them."

"Reaver hosts some sort of fancy secret society party every week. We don't know what goes on, but we do know what the guests look like. It's the perfect chance to sneak in."

"We'll have outfits ready for us when we reach Millfields..." Page said.

"Ooh great, what's mine look like?" Ben interrupted. Page just glared at him silently, "What? I still can't come? What, even after the three hollow men story? Honestly, this is worse than the army..."

"The party isn't until tomorrow night. I would offer you a place to stay here but I'm afraid we're too full up as it is. Why don't you take the good captain and find a place to stay in the city? I can only handle him for so long..."

"I'm going to stay here to talk with Page so go on without me." Walter said, "How's the wound?" He pointed to her chest. Jasper had given her new clothes so the bandages were hidden now. It had taken a whole week after they had left Mourningwood for her to regain use of her Will and return to the Sanctuary. Even now, the wound was still not healing properly.

"It's not bleeding anymore, though it looks like it should be. Jasper found out a little about that gauntlet in the 'Book of Heroes'. Apparently it's an old kingdom weapon that was used against Will users. I don't know where that hobbe found it but then again, I don't really want to know." Rheesa told him, "Come on, Captain. I believe the Cow and Corset should have some decent rooms." She turned to Ben.

"I knew I should've gone up to the castle with Swiftie..." he sighed. The two of them went up to Bowerstone Market, an area Rheesa was more familiar with.

"Excuse me, how much is two rooms for one night?" Rheesa asked the innkeeper at the Cow and Corset.

"Ermmm... well it would be 50 silver for each but I'm afraid all we have available is one double, is that alright?" Rheesa glanced at Ben and he shrugged.

"That's okay, Princess. You take it, I-"

"That's fine." she told the innkeeper, ignoring Ben.

"Uh, are you sure...?" the captain asked.

"It's only one night, it's no big deal. Or... is the fearless slayer of hollow men afraid of little old me?" she laughed.

"Of course not! Well... alright. Remember, you insisted." Ben winked.

Rheesa dropped a few coins into the innkeepers hand and he bowed graciously and led them up to the room. After situating themselves they headed down to the tavern to pass the few hours they had till sunset. Rheesa kept a close eye on how much she, and Ben, drank. She knew they were going to have a busy day the next day with Reaver's party and all. As she sat and listened, Rheesa realized just what her brother had meant all those years ago, about how the people of Albion were the most interesting part of it. Every man in the tavern had his own story to tell and each was more interesting than the last. She heard Ben sharing a few stories of his own and a few that were not his own.

"-She then leapt from the statue and blasted the poor bugger's head right off!" The men around him chuckled, thinking he was joking.

"With a lute?"

"Yep. She's right over there if you want to ask her yourself." The men turned to Rheesa, who smiled genuinely.

"It's true." she said simply, "That one at least. I'm not so sure about his other stories though." Ben pouted at her slightly then beamed at the surprised faces around him, "I think I will turn in for the night. Ben, you should too."

"Well then gentlemen, my fair lady calls and I must answer!" He took one final swig of his ale and brought it down on the table earning a roar from the other men. Laughing, they both ascended the stairs. As soon as they got to the room Rheesa flopped on her bed, exhausted.

"Good night, Princess, sleep tight." he chuckled.

"Shut up, Ben." she muttered into her pillow. He laughed for a bit more then got into his own bed and blew out the candle. Quieting down, they lay in silence for a while, each of their breathing the only thing telling the other that they were still awake. After about an hour and a half Ben got fed up with it.

"Still awake?"

"Yes."

"Becaaaaause...?"

"I'm thinking."

"Oh come on, don't make me guess all night!"

"I'm thinking about a friend of mine." Rheesa heard Ben shift, turning to look at her. She could understand why. Her voice had cracked, as if she'd been crying, "My... ex-fiancee technically. My father set the whole thing up when I was 2. I never really minded, but I didn't love him." She had no idea why she was telling Ben about it; it was just coming out, "I had always thought of him like a little brother, and at times, my best friend. We grew up together." She choked up, cursing herself silently for still being so weak. Ben just waited patiently for her to continue, "Just before I left the castle, there was a ...riot outside. When we heard that my brother was going to kill the rioters, Elliot and I stood up to him. That… didn't go down so well." She paused again, "In the end, the rioters were spared and Walter got me out of the castle that night."

"And... what happened to Elliot?" Ben pressed, gently. Her response was a barely audible whisper.

"I killed him."

Ben sat up, looking at her in concern, "Princess..."

"Don't. I'm ...going to sleep now, goodnight." Rheesa said, ending the conversation.

* * *

The next morning, Rheesa woke up earlier than Ben. She had meant to, to be able to leave without him following her. She chuckled quietly to herself; Page had been adamant that he not come along. Rheesa herself was not too unhappy with that after her gut spilling the night before. She left him a note though, saying she had already joined Page. It didn't take her long to get to Millfields and even less time to find Reaver's Manor, as it was the largest and most conspicuous. Of course, since it was Reaver, their costumes were ...extravagant as well. Frills and bright colors everywhere. Rheesa stood in front of Page, feeling absolutely ridiculous.

"Hmm, that really does suit you. Brings out the color in your eyes." Page snarked.

"Let's just get this over with." Rheesa sighed. Though she was glad to be doing something, she was not at all fond of Reaver. He had often come to the castle to visit her mother, when she was still alive, and when she died Logan made the man head of Industrial. Reaver was a snake, always trying to chip away at Rheesa, make her do something she would regret.

The two women were let into the mansion almost too easily. The man at the door informed them that the party was winding down and they had missed all the fun. He led them to the ballroom where the 'final ceremony' was going to take place.

"Now, there are some ground rules. Master Reaver insists that nobody carries weapons into the ballroom. There have been some accidents..." the man said, glancing nervously at their swords.

"I'm afraid I need to keep mine. I'm here to find some friends." Page said, bitingly.

"Oh, you're the brave, noble rebels! Why didn't you say so? I'm an oppressed proletarian myself, you know. We're practically comrades." he said, smiling, "If you just go through those doors, you can sneak past the party and rescue your fellow revolutionaries."

Page took off without a moments regard for the sniveling man and pulled Rheesa along with her. Through the doors they say a large cage in the center of the room ahead. The man inside groaned and sat up, crawling over to the bars.

"There's one of my men!" the dark woman cried rushing over.

"Page, wait-!" Rheesa began but Page ignored her.

"Kidd! Are you alright?"

"Get out! Now!" the man said, waving frantically.

"Where are the others?"

"All dead. Reaver knew you'd come... He's been waiting for you!" Suddenly there was a loud rattling sound and the cage was pulled upwards sharply.

"What!?"

Rheesa ran over and leapt up to grab the bars, "I'll get him out." she said. She took a deep breath and began pulling herself up the side of the cage.

"My, my, my. More busy little bees here to steal Reaver's honey?" Reaver appeared on the balcony of the ballroom, wearing a ridiculous bird mask. Rheesa gritted her teeth, she knew what was coming, "And is that little Princess Rhees I see behind that lovely mask?" She ignored him and kept climbing, "Tsk, tsk, what would your mother say if she saw you all grown up and still playing the boy?"

"She'd be damn proud of me, that's what." She had reached the top, where the chain was connected. Rheesa concentrated her Willpower and called down to Kidd, "Hang on, this may be a little rough!" Releasing a small explosion at the base of the chain, the cage dropped instantly and Rheesa was just thankful that it hadn't gotten that far from the floor. It landed with a clatter and fell over, knocking Rheesa off of the top. She rolled and recovered as fast as she could. Page had already pried the broken door off the cage and Kidd was free. Reaver just watched them and shook his head.

"When will you people learn to enjoy life?" he sighed.

"I'll enjoy killing you. Does that count?" Page replied angrily.

"Oh, you're just full of spunk, aren't you? A true heroine. You must be lightning under the bed sheets." Reaver winked then turned to the other party guests lining the balcony beside him, "And now, as promised, the evenings piece de la resistance. Another piece of the resistance." He leaned forward and pulled a large lever, the doors behind them shut, "Voila! Do try to put on a good show for my guests, won't you?"

"We're not playing any sick game of yours, Reaver!" Rheesa shouted, but the man continued on as if he hadn't heard her.

"The Wheel of Misfortune. It's rather simple. I spin, you die, we watch! Really, it's... It's a riot!" he laughed. Tapping his cane, a large arrow on the far wall began to spin, pointing at five different symbols around it. It clanked to a stop at one and Reaver chuckled to himself. Thus began his game. Rheesa, Page, and Kidd were forced to fight their way through wolves, hobbes, mercenaries and strange sand women that Reaver offered little explanation over. Finally the last symbol on the wheel was hollow men. Page and Kidd weren't sure what to expect, they had never seen hollow men before. Rheesa went in first and they were quickly swarmed with the things. They didn't pose much threat, being immensely slow creatures and Rheesa soon developed a sort of rhythm. She hopped over to Page, still fighting.

"You know, Ben really was telling the truth about the three hollow men thing."

"Is this really a good time!?" Page shouted, firing at a hollow man in front of her.

"Well," Rheesa flipped her gun over the rebel's head and hurricane-stepped around her to catch it. Page turned, half pulled by Rheesa's momentum and found herself face to face with Rheesa's pistol. The princess winked. She shifted slightly and shot at a hollow man over Page's shoulder, "In my life, there's never a good time for anything." she joked, "Plus, it's just hollow men. I have no qualms killing something that's technically already dead."

"You...! Ugh, just fight. The faster we get through this the better." Page sighed, the ends of her mouth lifting slightly.

They finished off the rest of the hollow men quickly and went back to the main chamber, where Reaver was waiting. He stood alone on the balcony.

"Well, I must say, you've made me out to be a somewhat poor host. Rather rude of you to scare away all my guests. They were dissatisfied with you not dying."

"They'll get death soon enough." Page said, firing one shot at Reaver's head. Rheesa barely even saw him move but she saw enough. Reaver drew his own pistol and fired upwards at Page's bullet. The mashed bullets ricocheted off the roof and landed with a small _chink_ at Page's feet. Page glanced incredulously at Rheesa.

"And now, I am afraid I've had my fun. I wouldn't dream of coming between dear Rhees and her brother any more. Best of luck with this whole revolution lark. Perhaps we'll meet again one day. Tatty-bye." Reaver said, bowing. He turned and strode out the door behind him.

"Hey, come back!" Page shouted, firing again to no avail. Reaver was gone.

"Come on, let's get out of here." Kidd said. Rheesa laughed.

"Hell yeah."


	4. A Born Leader

It was not long after leaving Reaver's Manor that the Princess and Page heard about a speech that Logan was going to give. Page said to meet up with her when it was finished. Rheesa agreed and went to the castle gates, where she found Ben waiting.

"There you are! I knew you'd come to this. That was not nice leaving me behind like that!" the blonde joked, "Anyway, we should go in. This whole thing gives me a bad feeling..." He grabbed her hand and led her into the courtyard. They pushed their way through the crowd to get a good vantage point of what was going on. Logan stood at the top of the balcony, staring down at the crowd disdainfully. Below him, on the second tier, were a few of his elite guards standing around a man whose head was covered. Logan finally began to speak.

"Yes. Traitors walk amongst us. Traitors plot to end us. Traitors would have you believe their cause is noble." he said, "They wear many masks. They may look like your friends. They may even look like your most loyal servants." He nodded down to his guards, "This, this is the face of a traitor." They pulled off the hood of the man and Ben gasped. It was Major Swift.

"Swift!" Ben moved as if to go to him but Rheesa held him back, shaking her head softly. The captain looked back at her helplessly then his head snapped around when Logan began speaking again.

"Major Swift, a respected member of the army and sworn servant of the kingdom, has plotted against us all." the King sneered, "He was apprehended attempting to turn loyal soldiers against us, and is thus charged with espionage, treason and conspiracy." He paused, "Yet there are still others darkening our land with their betrayal. We shall hunt these traitors down, wherever they may be. And they shall suffer the same fate as Major Swift. The fate of all enemies of the crown." With that he nodded again to the guards and one of them raised his pistol to Swift's head. Ben reached out again but it was far too late. The gunshot reverberated through the courtyard. There were muffled gasps and a few sobs as Major Swift fell to the ground, dead. Rheesa felt anger and hopelessness wash through her and her knees began to buckle, but she forced herself to stay standing. The princess gripped Ben's hand and pulled him away.

"Come on, Ben, we need to get out of here..." Her voice cracked, "We have to go, please, Ben." The man allowed himself to be pulled away, reluctantly. After they got off the castle grounds they ran back to the Resistance headquarters. Walter and Page were waiting there, Walter, sad, while Page had a hard, guarded look. Once the door had shut behind them Rheesa let her tears flow freely down her face.

"DAMN IT!" She slammed her hands down on the center table, "I swore... I _swore_ to myself that he would not murder anyone in front of me again!" she sobbed.

"We heard what happened. He died like a true soldier." Walter said, comfortingly.

Ben scoffed, "A true soldier? Let's not pretend there was anything noble about the way he died. He was tortured, humiliated and murdered."

"And he didn't give Logan anything or we'd be dead now. I call that noble." Walter said. Ben started to say something more but stopped himself and turned away.

"I just... I need to be alone." He walked to the door.

"Ben-!" Rheesa called after him but he was already gone. She turned back to the others, pleading, "I'll talk to him." She followed Ben out when the other two stayed silent.

The princess found Ben just past the headquarters in a side tunnel. He was sitting with his arms rested limply over his knees and his head hung low. She hesitated for a minute, wondering what she should do. Finally she decided to go over to him. She sat down beside him without saying a word, just trying to give the man comfort. He didn't acknowledge her, merely sat. After what seemed like an eternity, he spoke.

"How did you deal with Elliot's death?"

"Oh, I threw a few things, ripped a few fancy curtains, smashed an inkwell on the floor."

"Did it help?"

"No."

Ben sighed and raised his head, but he still didn't look at her, "You'd think I'd be used to this by now... There's been so much death. I... watched both my parents and one of my brothers die. Don't get me wrong, I loved my family, but this... hit me harder." He paused, "Swiftie was the reason I joined the army. And the old bugger's saved my ass more time than I can count since." he chuckled sadly, "Made me captain, even though I'm rubbish when it comes to tactics. I owe him so much."

"Ben..." Rheesa shifted and put her arms around him, letting him rest his head on her shoulder, "I'm so sorry..."

Ben reached up to encircle her and pulled her closer, "Princess..." He choked and a few tears dripped down his face. Rheesa moved back slightly and wiped them away with her thumb. Her face was only inches away from his now, "Princess..." he whispered again and kissed her, softly. Rheesa didn't pull away, didn't resist. Somehow it felt... right. Wrapped in his arms, she forgot the world around them. All the pain, all the sorrow. What seemed like all too soon to Rheesa, he drew back. Smiling that devilish smile of his, "We should... probably get back to the others..." he chuckled. Getting up, he stood Rheesa up and kissed her again on her forehead, "And... Thank you."

They went back to the headquarters, hand in hand. Page was talking to Walter as they entered.

"-we have to fight back." she finished.

"We're still not ready though, we need more allies. And thanks to Swift's efforts we know exactly where to look..." Walter said then noticed the couple, "Ben, Rheesa, we just received this from a soldier still loyal to the old guard, at great risk to his life. It's from the Major." He held out a folded up note to them. Rheesa took it and opened it up.

"'You will find allies in Aurora.'" Ben intoned, reading over her shoulder, "Huh, straightforward. That's Swiftie for you." he laughed.

"I still don't understand how anyone there could help us. Aurora is a dead land. There's nothing there." Page put in.

"Or at least that's what we've been told. It's still the only lead we have anyway. Keep reading Rheesa, there's a note at the bottom for you." Walter said.

Rheesa unfolded the last section of the note and saw;

_Princess,_

_King Logan appears well, however, it seems like he has a heavy burden on his shoulders. It's dragging him down. He will also often touch the scar on his lip, does it have meaning? He is always overcome with a hopeless look when he does so. The man is troubled but physically well, I fear the weight of the crown was not meant for him._

_Swift_

She felt tears sting her eyes as she refolded the letter carefully. She could have gone without that information and Swift had died getting it to her. Logically, she knew it wasn't true but she still wished the man himself was there instead of just a note.

"What was that about his scar?" Page asked, "Sorry, I read it too."

"Logan's scar is a reminder. A reminder of a promise he made. A promise he's breaking. If you really want to know, I'll tell you later, but right now we have more pressing matters to attend to." Rheesa explained, "We need to get ahold of a ship. Ben and I will see to that while Page, you and Walter will make sure the rest of the fleet doesn't follow." she ordered, straightening her back and looking each of them in the eye.

"Right."

"Of course."

"Yes, ma'am."


	5. Lost

_I feel like I'm floating... drifting... Am I dead? I feel... wet. But I'm not cold. It's actually really warm... where... Where am I?_

"-eeen! Ben!" Rheesa opened her eyes. Immediately blinded by the sun, she squinted to try to make out her surroundings, "Beeen!" a deep voice called off to her right.

"W-Walter?" she coughed, finding salt and sand in her mouth. She was lying just out of the water on a sandy beach. As far as she could make out, she was at the bottom of a cliff that overlooked the ocean.

"Princess, are you alright?" Walter asked, kneeling next to her. She sat up and brushed herself off.

"Yes, I'm fine. Where's Sora?" Rheesa asked glancing around for her dog. At the mention of his name, he came bounding around the corner and jumped into her lap, licking her face happily, "There you are boy!" She tousled his ears around and kissed him on his nose, "Ben's not here?" she asked, turning back to Walter.

"No, looks like... we didn't all make it." the old soldier said slowly. Rheesa's heart leapt to her throat, "I only hope... well, maybe he washed up somewhere else. I'm sure that's it!"

Rheesa swallowed gingerly then shook her head. She couldn't fall apart now. Too many people were counting on her and, like Walter said, Ben likely just washed up somewhere else. She stood and followed Walter.

"Anyway, the only way forward seems to be through a rather ominous cave" he said, walking to a large cave mouth around the corner, "Before we go any further, I'd just like to say one thing... BALLS!" he shouted into the gaping maw. His voice boomed back at them in a thousand echoes. They ventured into the chasm and after a minute Sora started barking excitedly. He ran ahead and disappeared behind a rock outcropping, "Hello, sounds like the dog's found something... You never know, it might be a luxury inn." The collie came back, still barking, only now he was chasing a group of bats that he had scared, "Oh bats. He found bats. Good work, boy, bats are exactly what we needed right now."

Rheesa smiled at the exchange but remained silent. Walter knew it was because she was worried about Ben.

"Ben's a strong swimmer. Probably reached a sandy beach somewhere. Palm trees, beautiful women, coconut cocktails. Jammy bastard." he said, trying to comfort her.

"'Beautiful women'? Honestly, is that all you men think about?" she sighed, smiling. Walter chuckled and led her deeper into the cave. As they picked their way through rocks and sand there was less and less light, just reflections from the water that wormed its way into the cave. They started to see pieces of carved rock, pillars, which surrounded a glowing barrier on the floor. Beneath the barrier was a spiral staircase, leading down. It looked like the only way out.

"What the hopping hobbes is that?" Walter asked, staring down at the barrier. Rheesa shrugged and descended to it to get a better look. All around it were skeletons, "Wherever we are we're not the only ones who got stuck in this damn place."

Rheesa noticed a leather bound book clutched in the hands of one of the skeletons. As she pried it loose, a page fell out, "Look at this... 'It calls to us still. Darkness incarnate. We know now we can never escape it.'"

"Well that doesn't sound good... Let me see that book." Rheesa handed him the book and Walter paged through it, "This looks like a journal... most of the pages have disintegrated but, well, you can still see plenty of weird symbols. It's mostly gobbledygook anyway. I mean, listen to this nonsense; 'Luminous spirits of the sands, impart daybreak and gleam under a quiet moon'" he chuckled, "What's that supposed to-?" Cutting him off, the book glowed brightly for a second and the barrier dissipated. Rheesa started in shock, moving her foot away from where the barrier had been, "Look at that! Can you believe I did that?" Walter nodded, satisfied. They started to descend and he began to look increasingly nervous, "Uhh... it does look somewhat dark though... Maybe going down isn't such a good idea..."

"I don't like it either, but it's the only idea we've got." Rheesa said. Still grumbling, Walter followed her down. Deeper and deeper they went, till they hit the bottom of the stairwell. Rheesa called on her Willpower and held a tiny flame in her palm, to give them enough light to walk by but not to make their presence completely know to everything down there.

"You know how I said it looked 'somewhat dark'?" Walter started, "Well, I'd like to amend that statement: We're looking into utter, total, complete darkness." Rheesa laughed and took the lead. She kept her hand close to her body, not trusting the shadows that flickered on the walls. They were in a strange ruin; the architecture was unlike anything Rheesa had ever seen before. A very odd mixture of organic and geometric shapes. They trudged in the only direction they could, all other blocked off by rubble and debris, and fairly soon came to another glowing barrier.

"Now where have we seen that before?" Walter pulled out the journal, "Stand back, let Walter the Scholar deal with this. Hmmm... with an increasing sense of trepidation, admittedly." He cleared his throat, "'Luminous spirits of the sands, inhale the restless gloaming'!" Just like the first, the book glowed and the barrier disappeared, "There you go, what can I say? I have a knack for gibberish." the old soldier laughed. Once on the other side, the barrier reappeared, "Umm... do you ever get the feeling somebody's playing games with us?"

"All the time."

They continued on wordlessly, trying to get out as fast as they could. Suddenly there was a gust of cold, stale air. If Rheesa hadn't been using Will the flame would have gone out. They heard a gravelly whisper, calling out to them from the shadows.

_*THE LIGHT YOU BRING WILL DIE. THE LIGHT INSIDE YOU WILL DIE. ALL THAT YOU ARE, WILL DIE.*_ Rheesa brightened her flame and looked around cautiously.

"Who's there? Show yourself!" Walter demanded.

Just beyond the ring of light cast by Rheesa's flame a thousand glowing eyes blinked open, hovering hungrily. The whisper laughed slowly, _*THE CHILDREN ARE HERE TO PLAY*_ The eyes moved closer and a few stepped into the light. Rheesa and Walter backed up, unsure. The creatures were shadows. They barely had feet yet they advanced, sucking the light out of where they stood. Rheesa lobbed a fireball at one and it burst like a puff of smoke and another was there to take its place.

"What... are they?" Walter asked, face filling with horror. He drew his sword and fought off a few as well. As they fought, they constantly heard the whisper. It urged the shadow children on, and taunted Rheesa and Walter. The two fought seemingly endlessly, battling to not be overwhelmed be the shadows. Finally, they stopped coming, though they were still on the fringe of the light, none were advancing anymore.

_*YOU'RE TAINTED*_ the whisper hissed, _*THE STAIN WILL NEVER WASH OUT. THE SUN WILL NEVER SHINE UPON YOU AGAIN. TAINTED, BROKEN, LITTLE TOYS.*_ The eyes disappeared. Walter and Rheesa began moving again, their urge to get out, stronger still.

"It's all right. We're all right. We... we just have to keep moving, that's all. We're all... all right." Walter muttered. They kept going, moving as fast as they could. Walter kept mumbling to himself and Rheesa got increasingly worried for him. Rheesa noticed that they had been ascending stairs for a while; they must be closer to the surface. Turning up another set of stairs, the two felt a cool breeze, this time of fresh air.

"Wait, I think we must be close to an exit. There's a cold breeze, can you feel it?" Walter asked, almost excitedly. He ran up past Rheesa to an opening at the top off the stairwell. As she followed him, she felt something pressing on the edge of her mind, whispering. Reeling in terror, she lost concentration and her flame went out.

"Walter!"

"No! Not the light, not the bloody light!" Rheesa summoned her Will again but couldn't keep concentration long enough to hold it. It was like something was severing the connection on purpose, "Rheesa! Come on, come on, those things are all around us! Where are you!?" Walter called frantically. Rheesa took a deep breath to calm her shaking fingers and summoned her Will. She concentrated everything she had and broke through whatever barrier the whisper had set up. A flame flared to life in her palm, illuminating Walter, just a few feet in front of her. And the thing that stood behind him.

"Walter!" she screamed. He turned around and saw the creature, its hideous face merely inches from his. It screamed at him, disjointing its jaw. The old soldier stumbled back, waving his arms in front of him manically. Rheesa blinked and the thing was gone. She ran up to Walter, letting her flame grow as much as she dared.

"Balls." the man whispered. He grabbed Rheesa's free hand and began pulling her along, "No, no, no, no, no... No, no, we have to get out of here. You hear me? You hear me? We have to get out of here!" he babbled. They ran, Walter muttering the whole time. Terror pushed them on and when Rheesa felt the whispers pressure once more she steeled herself. She would not let the light go out again.

_*WE ARE COMING, WE WILL DEVOUR YOUR KINGDOM*_

"It's here!" Walter shouted. The eyes appeared again and the shadows crept out.

_*THERE WILL BE NO BARGAINS. THERE WILL BE ONLY DARKNESS. THE CHILDREN COMMAND IT.*_ Rheesa shuddered, trying to block out its voice. It sneered at them, taunted them. _*DID THE BLIND SEER NOT TELL YOU ABOUT US? DID SHE NOT WARN YOU?*_

"QUIET!" Rheesa screamed, channeling immense power and released it at the thing. Lighting the entire cavern up with flames. It screeched and writhed as it was consumed within the inferno. The princess stood for a moment, breathing heavily. The fire slowly died out and there was nothing left of the creature.

"It's gone. The bastard's dead and gone. And we're getting out of here." Walter said, relieved, "I'm... sorry. I lost my head back there, I know. I've never liked dark caves, but this... It's as if someone took my worst nightmare and made it real." They kept going. After a bit, the carved stone opened up into a natural cavern. They stopped just before a ledge, "Looks like the only way is down. Goody."

"Come on, the Walter I know doesn't balk at little ditches like this!" Rheesa tried to comfort him, knowing he had a small fear of heights as well.

"Right... wait, just wait. I'll need a moment to prepare myself for this. But don't let me stop you." he said. Rheesa smiled apologetically then turned to the ledge. She judged the distance for a second, then jumped down, landing neatly on the sand below, "You all right down there?"

"Yes, it isn't far down." Rheesa called back.

"Right, here I come then... Three... Two... One-" Walter backed out of Rheesa's sight to get a good start. Suddenly she felt the pressure of the whisper on her thoughts again. Walter screamed.

"Walter!? Walter!" she shouted. It was no use, he didn't answer her. She heard the whisper laughing.

_*YOU LET HIM DIE. YOU LET US TAKE HIM*_ it hissed. Rheesa looked around frantically for any sign of where he went and saw puddles of black corruption lining the path ahead of her. She gritted her teeth and drew her sword, _*BUT YOU'RE GLAD ARE YOU NOT? YOU WISHED HIM PAIN. YOU WISHED HIM UNDONE, UNTHREADED, UNLIVING.*_ Rheesa ignored it the best she could but it still wriggled into her mind. She ran along the path fending off the shadow children that attacked her, _*A GREAT WAVE OF DARKNESS WILL COVER YOUR LAND. THEY WILL COME FOR YOUR KING. WHO WOULD SIT UPON THE THRONE OF ALBION? ACCEPT DEATH NOW. IT IS SO MUCH EASIER THAN WHAT IS TO COME.*_ She found herself unwillingly drawn to the whisper, slowing her pace and weakening her Will. _*YOU TOO WISH FOR THE BLACK VOID. YOU TIRE OF YOUR TRAVELS, YOUR BURDENS, THE CRIES OF THE HELPLESS, THE CRIES OF YOUR DEAD. YOU TOO WILL BE SWALLOWED.*_

A string of images leapt unbidden to Rheesa's straining mind. She saw her mother, Logan, Sabine, Swift, Page, and Walter, all staring silently at her. Finally, she saw Ben, who looked straight through her and smiled. "NO!" Rheesa cried out, "I'm not done yet, I can't be done yet. Yes, I'm tired! Yes, I want the death to end! But it will not end with _my_ death, no. I will not lie down and die like some moron who thinks life isn't worth it! BEGONE AND GIVE WALTER BACK TO ME!" Her mind cleared. Her decision had been made. She felt her Will flow more easily than before and looked up, with a new life inside her. She ran forward. Faint choking sounds caught her attention and she veered to her right. There, Walter was standing at the far end of the crumbling hall. The black corruption surrounding him, swallowing him, "Walter!" Rheesa ran up to him and tried to tear it off him. She couldn't get a grip on it, as if it was made of shadows just like the children. The creature appeared behind her and cackled wickedly. The princess turned and readied her sword, "If fire didn't kill you, maybe steel will!" She launched herself at the creature, which called more shadows to defend itself. Her blade sliced through them easily and she whipped around, lopping off the things head. Its body disappeared in a burst of purple flame and she knew it wasn't dead.

_*THIS LAND IS OURS. DARKNESS SHALL SPREAD ACROSS THE WORLD.*_ it whispered. The pressure faded and Walter fell to the ground, grunting.

"I can't see. That thing... it blinded me. I can't see!" he croaked. Rheesa rushed over and helped him up.

"It's okay, Walter. I'm here. I won't let that thing take you." She took his hand and made towards the rift in the cavern. Bright light streamed in through it. Going out, Rheesa blinked quickly, waiting for her eyes to adjust. They were in a desert. The grand sun hanging low and blindingly bright in the sky. Rheesa explained to Walter everything that she saw and they began to cross the sands. There was an enormous statue in the distance that Rheesa was angling at. It was the only landmark she could see that held any kind of significance. Walter stumbled along, getting weaker and weaker till he finally collapsed.

"I... I can't, I can't..." he muttered.

"Walter!"

"It's all right. It's all going to be... all right..."

"No, Walter, I'm not leaving you here! We're getting out of here together. Come on, get up!" Rheesa said, tears threatening to fall. She pulled at him, but the man was much too big for her to support.

"No... what you have to do is too important to waste on an old wreck like me... Go!" He weakly shoved her hands away. Rheesa looked helplessly at him. He was a shell of his former self, being swept away by the creature.

"I'll get help. I'll come back for you, I promise!" she swore.

"You'll do me proud. I know… you'll do me proud." Walter's hand slipped from her shoulder and his eyes closed.

"Walter!" Rheesa hovered for a moment, unsure of what to do. Sora barked, jolting her back into reality. She stood. Starting off again, the princess set a brisk pace. She wanted to preserve her strength but could not sacrifice any time. It seemed like hours that she wandered the desert. Keeping the statue ahead of her, she forced herself on. As she passed under the shadow of a rocky archway she saw a table. It was just there in the middle of the sand and at one end, sat Walter. Rheesa shut her eyes tight, trying to erase the hallucination. When she opened them again the sand was no longer bright. Weird lights floated all around her and everything else was dark. Her vision swam and she struggled to keep standing.

_*I'M BLIND, I CAN'T SEE! HELP ME!*_ the whisper cackled. Rheesa screamed and careened forward, rushing past the table and Walter, _*YOU ABANDONED YOUR FRIEND TO DIE. HE'S CALLING FOR YOU, WHILE THE CHILDREN SPREAD OUT HIS HEART TO THE SKIES.*_ She heard Walter screaming, and saw him again in front of her. The shadow children danced around him, ripping him apart. Rheesa shut her eyes and ran past, _*HE WOULD HAVE DONE ANYTHING FOR YOU. NOW HE SCREAMS ALONE. HE CURSES YOU. NOT EVEN IN DEATH WILL HE FORGIVE YOU.*_ Rheesa kept running, tears streaming down her face. She muttered 'No!' over and over again. The ethereal world around her grew darker as she ran finally falling into utter darkness, _*ARE YOU BLIND?*_ the whisper roared in her mind, _*ARE YOU BLIND YET?*_

All went out.

* * *

Rheesa drifted into consciousness. Opening her eyes, she saw a woman's face looking down at her.

"She's still alive. The other can't be far away."

"Walter!?" She tensed and tried to focus her eyes, but couldn't. Another face came into view and its owner took her hand and squeezed it tightly.

"Taking a nap in the sun?" he snorted, "Typical royalty. You had me worried there, princess."

Rheesa's eyes widened and tears began to drip down her face, "Ben..." she breathed. Momentarily forgetting everything, she lunged forward to hug him, "Ben!"

"Missed you too, girlie." he laughed, holding her tighter. Her eyes grew heavy again and she let them close, knowing she was safe.

Her consciousness slipped away.

* * *

She woke to a slobbery tongue tasting her cheek, "Hey, Sora." She smiled at the collie. He barked happily and sat back, satisfied.

"You are awake. Good." a woman said, sitting to Rheesa's right. She had a shaved head and was covered in vibrantly blue tattoos. A thick white stripe ran down the center of her face, "My name is Kalin, and you are in the city of Aurora. I have much to tell you." Rheesa sat up and glanced around the room. She spotted Walter on the other side, being tended to by another woman.

"Walter, how is he?" she asked, relieved that they had found him.

"He is fortunate to be alive, but we have seen his condition before. We may be able to help him."

Wondering where Ben was, Rheesa cast another look around, almost guiltily, "Is there another of my friends here? I thought I saw... in the desert..."

"A devilishly handsome soldier by the name of Ben Finn?" His voice startled her as he walked up behind her. He jumped onto the stone dais Rheesa was lying on and knelt next to her, "Not dead yet, princess." he winked. Rheesa shifted onto her knees and kissed him.

"I was so worried about you, Ben. I'm glad you're all right." she said.

"Ooh, how forward. Not that I'm complaining. I'm glad you're all right too. I'm not letting you out of my sight again; just look at all the trouble you got into!" the blond joked. Rheesa laughed and kissed him again, only to remember that the woman named Kalin was still sitting beside them. She blushed and shoved Ben away slightly.

"Um... sorry..."

Kalin laughed wistfully, "Oh do not be ashamed. One must find small happinesses wherever one can." She stood and gestured them to follow, "Please, come with me." Rheesa glanced at Walter and Ben noticed her look.

"Don't worry. He's a tough old nut, he'll pull through." he said reassuringly. The captain stood and helped Rheesa up. Kalin moved out of the room and the two of them followed, never letting go of each other's hands.

"It's so good to see you. When I was fished out of the local port and Walter and you weren't there... well, I thought it was all over." Ben told her as they walked, "Then I realized I was being an arse and worked my charms to get a search party out for you. Not that Kalin here needed much persuading."

"We are accustomed to misfortune. Now it is time you saw our city." Kalin said, rolling aside a strange slab of stone.

"Welcome to Aurora, the city of nightmares."


	6. Overworked

"Logan, former King of Albion, you stand accused today of crimes against the kingdom and its people." Walter announced, "Those who brought you to justice will now speak."

Sabine stepped forward, nearly cutting Walter off, "There's not a soul alive in this kingdom who hasn't suffered for his glory. And plenty who've died for it. I says, let him have some death of his own!"

"Look, I'm not one for lopping people's heads off, but we saw Major Swift executed, like it was a bloody circus act!" Ben scowled, "He deserves nothing less as far as I'm concerned."

Page shook her head slowly, moving past Ben, "But aren't we better than that? Isn't that why we fought to be here now? I've seen what Logan has done to this city. People starving to death, children forced to work... but killing him now won't solve anything."

Kalin raised a hand so she could speak, "It is not my place to decide his fate. But his betrayal condemned many of my people to death. He promised us salvation and then left us to face the darkness alone."

"Logan. Brother... What do you have to say?" the newly crowned Queen Rheesa asked, hardening her voice.

"I had good reason to break that promise. And I had good reason for the crimes you claim I committed." Logan said, proud as ever, "The day I returned to Albion. I received a visit from a blind seer. Theresa, our mother's guide. She showed me the future of this kingdom: the darkness in Aurora is coming here, bringing death, destruction, the end of our way of life." He paused to let it sink in, "The sacrifices I had to make, I did them to protect Albion! If a few had to suffer, it was to build an army. If a few had to die, it was to save a country."

Rheesa inhaled sharply. The darkness in Aurora was no joke. If Logan was telling the truth then a whole new war was about to begin, "If this is true... if it's really coming here... We're all in grave danger." Walter said, a distant terror resurfacing in his eyes. He looked at the Queen, along with everyone else. All eyes were now on her. Rheesa stood and descended the steps in front of the throne. She walked right up to her brother who knelt, bowing his head to her decision.

"Logan," she said. The man did not move, "Do you remember when our Father died? You were 12 and I had just turned 5. You had never liked our father, had always thought that he was a toy our mother had picked up because she'd had to. Because the kingdom needed heirs. You hated him for that, I think because you thought he was spineless or being used and doing nothing about it. As he was dying he asked for you. You stood there while our father told you that you would continue his legacy. That you would be a good king. Do you remember what you said? You laughed. 'Like you were old man? No thanks.' He died that night and you laughed at him still, said all these things, called him names, insulted him. I remember drawing the dagger that our mother had given me on my birthday, and grappling you to the ground. I was so frustrated and confused, and you were being a little bastard. I screamed at you to take it all back, to apologize. I always wondered what you were thinking at the time. Here I was, your little sister, stabbing at you while Mother sat beside Father's body and did nothing. Finally, Ser Walter dragged me off but not before I left a good gouge in your lip. Your scar. I remember as Walter carried me off I looked back and saw you crying. Not because I hurt you. You were looking at our father. I stopped screaming long enough that I heard you sob; 'I'm sorry Father, I let you down. I'll be a good king, I promise. I won't hurt anyone like that again.'" Logan twitched slightly, "You told me a few days later that you were glad that the wound would scar. Because it would always be there to remind you of your promise. Logan, look at me." He looked up, his face was full of sorrow and a tear dripped down his cheek. Rheesa drew her hand back and slapped him.

The throne room was utterly silent. The civilian onlookers not close enough to hear most of the conversation while Rheesa's comrades were either too shocked to say anything or just watching quietly. Logan did not turn his neck back for a moment, simply stayed facing Rheesa's left. Then he looked over slowly at Rheesa. At first she still had a hardened look but the edges of her mouth twitched as she caught Logan's eyes. She offered him her hand to help him up.

"That was for breaking that promise. Now, here's your second chance." she said. Logan sighed, smiling to himself at what a woman his sister had become and grasped her arm.

* * *

It had been three whole months since the battle for Bowerstone Castle. Three months since Rheesa had been crowned Queen of Albion. Yet she still didn't feel like the Queen her people needed her to be. Sure, her people were happy with her decisions, but the treasury was dangerously low. They all knew the only way to protect their land was to pay for an army. Rheesa did all she could in making compromises so the crown could raise money and the people could be happy. She kept her promises, however, and child labor was ended and Aurora became part of Albion. Almost every day Rheesa and he generals met to discuss how to best protect Albion in the battle to come.

"-how's that better than my plan?" Ben Finn pouted.

"We will live longer than a few seconds." Kalin said.

"Oh, well, now you're just picking holes."

"Give it up boy." Sabine chuckled. Rheesa only heard the end of the conversation as she had dozed off somewhere in the middle.

"Anyway," Logan interrupted the bickering, "My troops will be stationed here while Sabine and his men will take this route." He pointed to areas on the map, "Rheesa that will leave the center to you." The queen nodded, knowing the argument had been going on the whole time she'd been asleep and she hadn't really missed anything.

"All right." She stood, "That will be it for today, thank you all." The conclave followed her example and the room slowly emptied. As soon as everyone was out, Rheesa slumped back in her seat with a heavy sigh. She still had the tax papers Hobson had left for her to go over, then there were the budget sheets and the requests for Avo knows what. She reached for them, grumbling, but before she touched them someone else snatched them away. She looked up to see Ben standing in front of her.

"Hey, give those back!"

"What are they?" he asked, sifting through the papers, "Oh, just let Hobson deal with these. Isn't that his job?"

"If I let Hobson make any kind of decision I would be neck deep in debt to Reaver." Rheesa deadpanned.

"Ah, true. That man has a creepy obsession."

"More than one as I have so unfavorably found out."

"I don't want to know." Ben laughed.

"You really don't." Rheesa said, completely serious, "Now give them back."

"Yes, yes." He handed the stack to her and continued to look at her for a moment.

"What?"

"Nothing," Ben moved behind Rheesa's chair and patted her shoulders, "Just get some rest, would you, girlie? You need it." He leaned forward and kissed her on the cheek before striding out of the room, waving.

Rheesa sighed, "I wish I could sometimes..." she muttered, after he had gone, "But then I remember who I am."

She spent the rest of the evening looking over all the papers and deciding which farmer gets what chicken and whatnot. Finally, night fell and she had finished the stack. She dropped them off with Hobson in the treasury then retired to her bedchamber. Well, she didn't actually retire quite yet. She concentrated her Will and opened her eyes in the Sanctuary.

"Good evening, madam. Will you be adjourning to the dressing room to change into your usual night attire?" Jasper asked.

"Yes, thank you."

"I must repeat my protest as to your activities every night. You may be a Hero but even Heroes need sleep." he said.

"I do get sleep." Rheesa argued, pouting.

"Perhaps an hour or two at the most." the man sighed, "But who am I to lecture the Queen of Albion? Go on, your dirt and grime awaits." Rheesa smiled apologetically at her butler and went into the dressing room. She changed into a ripped, baggy shirt and tiny shorts, both of which were covered in dirt and soot. Smearing some on the rest of her body, she unpinned her hair from its tight bun and messed with it.

"Very good, you look just like your street urchin." Jasper said. Rheesa returned to the castle and crept out of her room. She stuck to the shadows as much as she could, leaving through the secret escape route she, Walter and Jasper had discovered when they had fled the castle. It would take her right to Bowerstone Industrial. From there she could make her way to the market street, which was her goal. As awake as she was, she didn't notice the tall shadow following her from the castle.

Rheesa darted up to the doors of the blacksmiths workshop and knocked.

"Finn!" a young man greeted, opening the door. The shadow twitched and tried to stand absolutely still, however the man just continued to talk to Rheesa, "There ya are, was wondering when you'd get here. Got a lot o' work tonight."

When Rheesa, or 'Finn', answered she spoke with a slurred Bowerstone accent, "Sorry, Cairn. Got 'eld up at home."

"Right, right. Just come on in, Barlos' got a lot o' new orders today so we got our work cut out for us." Rheesa followed him in and the door shut behind her. The shadow crept clumsily up to the window to see what was going on. Rheesa stood at an anvil, pounding away at a length of steel. After she had shaped the sword to her satisfaction she dunked it in a barrel of water next to her and handed it off to the man, Cairn. She continued like this for hours and fairly soon, sweat was pouring down her face and arms. Rheesa crafted a good twenty to thirty blades that night before she took a breather. A large burly man, Barlos, brought her a rag and a glass of water. She wiped her face with the rag as the man pounded her on the back and thanked her. The shadow couldn't hear what was being said but the three were laughing and smiling at each other. Eventually, Rheesa and Cairn stood and waved at the blacksmith. The shadow nearly ran smack into them coming out the door as he tried to hide, but thankfully he caught himself and the two didn't notice.

"-I aint never seen anyone work a forge that fast! I had to rush to keep up." Cairn laughed, "You work like Skorm himself is after you!"

"Close enough." Rheesa muttered, then smiled up at the man, "I mean, with the debt collec'ors and all." They began walking across the bridge.

"Well, Finny. You ready for some outlaw hunting?" Cairn asked, moving on to their next job that night.

"Always, and you know it!" The two laughed more. At the other end of the bridge stood the small guard office. They went inside and came out again promptly. Rheesa led Cairn towards Industrial, chatting with him amiably about random things. Approaching one of the slum houses there, they knocked politely. When no one answered, they kicked down the door and ran in. The shadow was startled at the short burst of gunfire that followed and rushed up to the door. He had to quickly jump over the railing to avoid being seen by Rheesa, who was dragging a screaming, bleeding, convict out.

"Shut up or I'll shut you up." Rheesa growled. The man instantly fell silent and allowed himself to be dragged back to the guard office. There, an elderly guardsman met them at the door and handed them a pouch of coin in exchange for the criminal. They split it and waved as they went their separate ways. The shadow followed Rheesa back to the castle, where she disappeared once back in her chambers, no doubt to the Sanctuary. He had seen all he needed to. Tomorrow he would investigate more.

* * *

The next night, Rheesa continued her ritual of sneaking out of the castle. As usual, Cairn met her at the blacksmiths. Cairn was from Brightwall, but his parents moved to Bowerstone when he was very young. His father had died the year before, killed by a factory accident so Cairn had sworn to his mother that he would never work in one. He found odd jobs around Bowerstone Market until he eventually met Finn Grace. They worked together to get the blacksmith to hire them and helped each other out with bounty hunting. 'Finn Grace', of course, was Rheesa's pseudonym. She needed coin. And what better way than to help Bowerstone's economy? She set herself up as a young Bowerstone slums girl. 'Finn' had lost both her parents and was left to look after her three little sisters alone. Her father had been a gambler and had left the family with a huge debt. Now, she worked with Cairn to gather coin for the debt collectors.

"Hey, Finn, something happen yesterday?" Cairn asked as he let her into the shop. She gave him a weird look.

"What d'you mean?"

Barlos came in, looking more serious than he usually did, "We had a soldier in the shop today. High rank looking fella, was asking about you."

"He knew your name. He was askin' stuff like 'What did we know about you' an' 'Where did she come from?'. Barlos didn't tell the guy anything. Just told him that our business was our own and that if he was looking for a whore he should check Industrial!" Cairn cracked up. Rheesa, on the other hand, was not laughing.

"This soldier..." she started and cleared her throat, realizing she had slipped out of her accent, "Did he tell you 'is name? Wha'd he look like?"

"No, wouldn't say it. Tall guy. Blond. Sort of scruffy side burns too." Barlos said.

_Ben..._ Rheesa knew immediately. Somehow he had found out. _Dammit, I knew I should have used the Sanctuary map to get out of the castle!_ She hadn't because she hated the transportation feeling and knew the castle inside out. She thought no one would be able to follow her. Now that Ben had found out Rheesa wondered what he would do. Would he tell the others? Would he expose her to Cairn and Barlos? Or... would he keep it a secret? She shook her head, letting those concerns fall to the back of her mind as she reassured the two men. She finished her work that night and returned to the castle.

* * *

In the morning, Rheesa raced through the schedule that Hobson had prepared. It was an easy day in court, deciding on minor civilian matters. Once she was done she sent a servant to fetch Ben, but he was nowhere to be found. Rheesa reluctantly sat through more papers and court sessions till it was late in the evening. Exhausted, she returned to her room.

"So I told Cairn and Barlos that you wouldn't be joining them tonight." Ben's voice made Rheesa jump nearly to the ceiling.

"Ben!"

"Finn." Rheesa chewed her lip and looked away. Ben strode up to her and tilted her chin to face him. He examined her eyes with concern, "I don't care about the whole 'sneaking around, pretending to be someone else' bit, but princess... this lack of sleep is killing you."

"I'm not longer _just_ a princess, Ben. I'm Queen. And I have a country to protect. For that, I need coin. ...And I just can't think like Logan did... the 'hurt the people in order to help them'. I can deal with a little sleep deprivation if it gets me enough coin to save Albion." Rheesa argued.

"You don't have to, look, we're all doing everything we can but you need to be at your best. You're the queen. You're supposed to sit back and order others to do everything for you, right?" the blond joked.

"Ben..." Rheesa sighed.

"I'm not letting you leave this room tonight. You. Need. Sleep. And I'm making sure you get it, love."

"But-!"

"And don't even think of trying to jump to the Sanctuary, I contacted Jasper and he's closed it off."

"But what about Barlos and Cairn?" Rheesa continued.

"I sent a boy there with a message from you saying something along the lines of 'Hey, can't make it tonight, maybe in a few days I'll be able to get back, thanks'" Ben grinned and kissed her on the forehead, "Go to sleep, you and I both know you need it." The queen frowned at him for a bit but went to bed anyway, refusing to admit to herself that she was incredibly grateful. She didn't wake up again until the next afternoon.

She heard Ben speaking to someone in hushed tones, "-don't worry about her. She's just been pushing herself a little too much. All she needed was sleep."

"I knew it." Walter's deep voice replied, "She was always the type to do that. Just let her know when she wakes up, that Hobson's looking for her."

"Got it." Walter left the room and everything got quiet again. Rheesa rolled over to look at Ben, "Awake yet?" he chuckled.

"I hate you." she muttered. Ben feigned hurt.

"I'm starting to have serious doubts about our relationship." Rheesa couldn't help smiling.

"Ben?"

"Yes, love?"

"Don't ever change."


	7. The Desert Star

Queen Rheesa awoke with a dry mouth. She was in the Auroran desert, searching for a rare diamond. Kalin had sent a group of native Aurorans with her to help her survive the dry countryside and they had been a lifesaver. They were on their way to a place the natives called the Palace of Sand. The home of the sand furies. Rheesa had seen them before, having fought them at Reaver's mansion. So she knew a bit of what they were up against. They had camped for the night a short ways away from the entrance to the palace, lest any of the creatures found them. Approaching the cave mouth in the morning, however, did not let them slip in unnoticed. Just before the opening sand furies sprang up, surrounding them. The soft jingling of the bells they liked to attach to their hoods and their angry hisses the only sound in the wasteland. Rheesa drew her sword as one launched itself at her, thrusting with its katana. Rheesa batted the blade aside and followed the motion, spinning and striking downward at the creature. It shrieked and fell back, clutching the gouge in its shoulder and another took its place. The queen turned at another shriek that was directly behind her and just barely missed running right into the furies wicked sword. It nicked her cheek and she turned into it, grabbing the blade with her left hand and swinging her right in to lop the things head off. She pulled it down and found herself facing two more that had joined the first. The one on the right leapt forward and spun mid-air, planning to slice at Rheesa. Rheesa leaned back as the katana whistled just past her nose and flung her hands out for balance. Using the momentum to swing up into a handstand, the hero kicked her legs at the fury, knocking the katana from its hands. When her feet were safely on the ground again she dashed forward, impaling the woman through the stomach. The two behind it wailed as the fury shuddered and hung limp. Rheesa let it slide off her sword and raised her arms to put it out of its pain.

"Ssstop!" one of the other two hissed. She threw her katana aside and ran to defend the fallen fury, "Ssssstop, ssshe iss only a child!" The remaining fury hissed and shrieked at her in what could only be their language, clearly angry. Rheesa took a few steps back, perplexed.

"You... can speak?"

The defender responded to the other, silencing her, and glared at Rheesa, "We sssspeak our tongue, and ssome know otherssss... My ssssissster doesss not approve of me ssspeaking with a _human_ but thisss kalindi isss my own. I cannot watch her be sssslain."

"Kalindi?" Rheesa asked.

"Born of the ssssun. My child." The sand fury held the girl tightly and tried to stop the bleeding from her wound.

"I would not have hurt her, had you not attacked us."

"We do what we mussst. You sssseek the Sssstar and you cannot have it. None but the ssssanaa may keep it."

"I need it to fund Albion's defenses, I can't leave without it." Rheesa shook her head. The fury spat and hissed.

"No! You do not undersssstand!" She ripped of her hood to reveal her ruined face. Her lips were permanently curled back to brandish rows of small dagger-like teeth and what Rheesa had thought to just be the hoods that they wore were actually large pointed ears. Her eyes were sunken and wiped clear of their pupils. The fury behind her shrieked in anger, but removed her own hood as well, "The Sssstar is a dark evil we can no longer essscape! We are curssssssed to remain, ssssssshunned by our own."

"The Aurorans? You were once human?" Rheesa was taken aback.

"Hssss, no! Not _human_! Never!" she spat angrily, "We were Assssssvini, ssssandfolk. But that doesss not matter now. The Sssstar corruptssss uss. It mussst be kept from otherssss."

"My Queen," one of the Aurorans spoke up, "We have heard legends of these Asvini, but no one has ever truly seen one..."

The fury that Rheesa had stabbed moaned in pain and her mother shrieked frantically at the other. She only shook her head sadly. The mother sobbed something in their language, clutching the girl tighter. Rheesa, ignoring the fearful comments of the Aurorans, knelt next to the fury and held up her hands to show she meant no harm. The mother snapped her teeth at her and held the girl farther away.

"I control Willpower. I know some healing spells, I could help her." Rheesa said, "Hurry, she doesn't have much time!" The fury looked helplessly down at her daughter then back at Rheesa. She spat and shifted the girl closer to Rheesa.

"Help her!"

Rheesa summoned her Will and removed one of her gloves, passing her hand over the wound. A bright glow of magick flowed between them and the marred skin began to knit itself back together. The girl gasped and sat up instantly. She had a brief discussion with her mother and removed her own hood; she wore a ring of gold in her right ear. Looking up, wide-eyed, at Rheesa she spoke.

"You... help... me?" she asked slowly, having difficulty with the language.

Rheesa nodded, "My name is Rheesa. I'm... sorry for harming you." The fury shook her head vigorously and leapt back, out of her mother's arms. She landed near where her katana had fallen so she picked it up. Swirling it over her head, she drove it into the sand in front of herself and fell to one knee, bowing her head low. The third sand fury chattered at her in pure outrage while the mother just stared in shock. When she stood again, she stood taller and with more elegance than Rheesa had seen in any other sand fury. She silenced the other with a glare and spoke to her mother.

"Avanisssshwari thanksss you." the mother said, "Sssshe iss pleassed by your mercy. Againssst kalidasss counssel, ssshe wisssshess to honor you."

"Avanishwari is her name?"

"Not name." The fury considered for a moment, "Title; ruler, Queen." She conversed with the Avanishwari, translating the conversation, "Her name, sshe hassss assked me to give you. Ssshe issss Xara."

Rheesa stared for a moment at the sand fury. This was their Queen? "It is an honor to meet you, Xara." she said, bowing low. The Aurorans behind her hastily followed.

"Thesssse people call you Queen. Isss that what you are?"

"Yes, I am Queen of Albion, Aurora and lands far to the north."

Xara clicked something and her mother merely nodded, "Ssshe invitessss you, Avanissshwari. You have been the firsst to conversse with usssss for much time, sssshe would sssee you honored."

"Invites me where?" Rheesa asked cautiously.

"To our praasssaada; palace. Ssiikataasssta Praassaada. Home of the sssanaa."

* * *

The 'Sanaa' was what they considered their race, as Rheesa later found out. Xara led the group through the palace, with her mother, Adya, translated her explanations. She told Rheesa of how they had once been Asvini. A tribe that lived quite close to Aurora, known as the Sanaa tribe. Their ancestors had been greedy, though, and when they found an immense diamond in the desert, they kept it. The other Asvini tribes shunned them as they could see the corruption that was plaguing the ancestors' bodies. Many years past and the Sanaa continued to keep the diamond, allowing it to disrupt their bodies enough that the children they birthed were as corrupted as they were. Even when the original tribe members had died, nothing could rid the Sanaa of their curse. They tried to leave the Star behind but found that they could not. The farther they got from it, the weaker they became. They decided to protect others from the curse. Xara, through Adya, pleaded with Rheesa to end her quest for the diamond and warn others of its curse.

"Is there no way to cleanse it? Or destroy it?" Rheesa asked.

Adya glared at her, "If one with enough power were to come along, they could perhapsss, dessssstroy the jewel. But many rasssh kalindi have tried and have only ssssucceeded in their own deathsss."

"I'm a Hero." Rheesa shrugged, "This is what I do. You know, slaying bandits, killing hobbes, vanquishing ancient evils. It's a talent." The fury gave her a quizzical look, not knowing what a 'bandit' or a 'hobbe' was, then shook her head.

"If one such asss you were to die here, Avanissshwari, would not your people come for revenge?"

"Oh, my fortune-telling friend hasn't appeared yet so I'm willing to bet this won't kill me." Rheesa grinned, "Lead the way to this diamond, then, if you wish to be free of this curse."

Xara was clued in to the conversation and silenced Adya's complaints, "Avanissshwari agreesssss. Follow."

They brought Rheesa to a large chamber that had crumbled open on one side. In the middle was a pool of water, surrounded by pillars at each corner. It looked like an old temple of some sort. Beyond the pool, stood a small altar and on top of it, hovered the jewel. Sanaa lined the walls, waiting anxiously to see what would happen, as Rheesa approached the altar.

"...How, exactly, am I supposed to destroy it?" she muttered to Adya. She shrugged and took a few steps back. Rheesa examined the diamond for a few seconds; almost hoping her 'fortune-telling friend' would appear and tell her what to do with it. She didn't. A pin drop could be heard in the chamber as Rheesa pulled out her pistol and tapped it. The sound it made was almost angelically delicate, a soft, ringing sound that lasted longer than it should have. She leveled the muzzle at its center and shot it point blank. The bullet passed straight through as if there was nothing there and embedded itself in the wall behind it. The room began to shake, large chunks of stone coming loose from the ceiling scattered the Sanaa. The diamond was enveloped in a inky, black, swirling darkness.

And man did it look angry.

Xara shrieked at Rheesa and pushed her mother away from the thing. Rheesa drew her sword, readying herself for the shadows that were issuing forth. They were just like the shadows she and Walter had fought in Shadelight. This diamond was connected to the Crawler somehow. Rheesa sliced through the creatures and saw Xara doing the same. The group of Aurorans, who had been waiting outside, came charging in to defend their Queen. Only to have her rebuke them.

"Get back!" she shouted, "I will handle this! Go!" She bashed through a few more shadows and ran to the corrupted diamond. Raising her blade above her head, the queen sunk it deep into the jewel. She fought the power whipping around it and summoned her own, imbuing the tip of her sword with an explosive spell. The diamond shattered.

Rheesa was thrown back violently and landed, with a splash, in the water. When she had regained her footing and wiped the sand from her eyes, she saw Xara and Adya a few feet to her right and the group of Aurorans to her left. She smiled grimly, they had not left. The diamond, however, was gone. All the pieces disintegrated and the corruption that had wormed its way into the chamber had burned itself away. A few Sanaa trickled back in and let out shrieks of joy. They had been released. Though their mutated features did not change, their eyes regained their pupils.

The queen walked over to Xara and her mother and held out her hands to help them up, smiling. The Avanishwari leapt back, in a very similar manner to when she had been healed, and bowed, touching her forehead to the ground. The rest of the Sanaa in the chamber followed her example. Adya bowed as well and thanked Rheesa profusely.

"I was glad to help." Rheesa smiled. Then, suddenly remembering her original purpose, she came up with an idea, "The darkness that was in the Star... was connected somehow to the darkness that is threatening my country. Now that you are freed, would you join with me to defend Albion from it?" Adya translated and Xara frowned, clicking something to Adya.

"Thisss iss attacking your landsss? Thisss ssssame darknesssss?"

"Yes. My mentor and I encountered the Crawler in a ruin not far from here, and it plans to come for my home, my people."

Xara stepped forward, "We... help. You."

* * *

_**Translations;**_

_**Kalindi: Child.  
Sanaa: The sand fury race/tribe.  
Asvini: the sandfolk race.  
Avanishwari: Queen.  
Kalidas: Servant/advisor.  
Praasaada: Palace.  
Siikataasta Praasaada: Sandfall Palace**_


	8. Kidnapped

About a month after the sand fury fiasco, Queen Rheesa was sitting back on her throne. Another wearisome day in court and she was already itching to get out again. She let out a heavy sigh. She only got to see Ben every few nights when he would come by to make sure she slept. With herself on the throne and Ben helping Walter train soldiers, it left little time for the two lovers to spend together. Rheesa began to nod off after the last group of nobles left the audience room.

"Princess."

The blond man's voice startled her, making her jerk her head up, "What? What is it? More nobles?" she asked.

"Haha, no. That's all there was today. Out last night?" Ben chuckled.

"Yeah, I finally figured something out too. You know where Barlos is getting all those orders from? Me. The crown. I have somehow ended up working for myself." Rheesa joined in. Ben smiled and leaned over, suddenly picking her up, "Hey, woah!"

"Where to, queenie? The kitchens? The gardens? Or perhaps you'd like to retire to your chambers?" he joked.

"My rooms, please, oh valiant soldier." Rheesa said. Ben carried her up the stairs, ignoring the maids who snickered and giggled as they went by. He set her down on the couch and situated himself beside her. Rheesa stretched and lay down, using his lap as a pillow.

"Comfy?"

"Very much so." she smiled back.

"Would my Queen like some refreshments, as well?" he asked.

"Kiss-ass."

"Ooh, gladly!" the blond chuckled and moved to shift her.

"Ben!" Rheesa blushed madly and pushed him away, laughing. Just then, there was a swift knock on the door and Hobson strode in.

"Erm, my Queen..." He finally noticed the two of them, "I can return at another time...?" Rheesa set up quickly and smoothed out her clothing.

"No, now's fine. What is it?" she asked.

"Erm, there is actually a visitor for Mr. Finn... A woman, to be precise." Rheesa glanced at Ben, who shook his head as if to say, 'Whatever it was, I didn't do it!', "She said to tell you that she was the 'wife of a certain Finn'." Hobson continued. Ben's eyes widened.

"Anna...!" he whispered.

"Hobson, have her brought to the throne room." Rheesa ordered, after waiting a minute for Ben to say more. Hobson bowed and scurried out, "Ben...?" The queen placed her hand over his, "I can send her away if you don't want to see her...?"

"No, I... I have to make sure it's her!" he finally responded. He stood and took Rheesa's hand. Together, they went down to the throne room.

"Send her in."

The guards opened the door and a woman walked timidly in. She wore a heavy cloak with the hood obscuring her face. Ben stepped down the dais, to put himself in between Rheesa and the woman. As soon as she saw him, she threw back her hood, "Ben!" She ran forward, her strikingly red curls bouncing as she hugged the soldier fiercely.

"Anna! I-I don't believe it!" Ben stammered.

"Dear Avo, Ben, you've grown so much!" 'Anna' cried.

"Anna, I-"

"Ahem!" Rheesa interrupted, "Care to introduce me, love?" Anna flushed and dropped to her knees, bowing as low as she could. Ben laughingly got her back on her feet.

"Of course, Anna, this is the Queen of Albion, Rheesa Black, the most wonderful woman I have ever met. Rheesa, this is Annabelle Finn, my sister-in-law."

Rheesa's posture instantly relaxed. Though she had been trying to give Ben the benefit of the doubt, she had still been nervous that this 'Anna' had been some former lover of his or something like that, "Please, Mrs. Finn, there is no need to act so formal. Any family of Ben's is very welcome in my home."

"Ha! You might regret saying that." Ben chuckled.

"Th-Thank you, your majesty." Anna bowed again slightly then turned to Ben, "Benjamin Finn, just _what_ did you do to be such good friends with the Queen?"

"Haha, oh I've missed you, Anna. But... I thought you escaped somewhere, to start again?" Ben said, gently. The woman averted her eyes.

"I- I did, but then... Oh, Ben, they took him! They somehow found me and took him!" Anna broke down, sobbing.

"They?" He knelt beside her, "Took who, Anna?"

"They took Quentin!" Ben froze.

"Anna... Quentin... He's dead, Anna. You know that. You were there!" he said, a pained look on his face.

"No, no, my son!" she exclaimed, "That man from before, Ferret, he found me and took my boy!"

"Nigel Ferret?" Rheesa asked. Anna looked up in surprise, having momentarily forgotten that Rheesa had been there, and nodded, "That bastard... Page warned me about him a few days ago. I was going to take care of him tonight... Damn, I should have done something sooner!"

"Anna, you never told me you had a son!" Ben said.

"He was born after I left... I- I couldn't just come back, I was on the run. Quentin-your brother- had mentioned me to the debt collectors and they came after me, after he died. Apparently that wasn't enough for them."

"Why didn't you tell me!?" the soldier demanded.

"You were a boy! A boy who had just seen his brother murdered, I couldn't put that on you!" she cried.

"Still..." Ben fell into silence.

"Do you know where they are keeping your son?" Rheesa asked. She had just transported back from the Sanctuary, having changed into more flexible clothing and grabbed her weapons. Anna blinked, for a moment in confusion, "Mrs. Finn!"

"O-oh yes, here." She drew a folded up piece of paper out of her pocket and handed it to Rheesa, "I found this when I returned home. I didn't know who else to turn to, but you, Ben. I had heard you were a captain in the royal army so I thought if I came here, someone could point me to you." Ben looked questioningly at Rheesa, who nodded.

"We'll get him back, I promise."

Rheesa strode to the door, "Hobson!" she called, "I want a guard assigned to Mrs. Finn, she is a personal friend and I would see her treated as such. I'm going out." She turned to Ben and held out her hand. Ben gave Anna a quick, reassuring hug and followed Rheesa. As soon as he grasped her hand the two of them vanished.

* * *

Had Ben not been so worried about his newly discovered nephew he would have been awed by the Sanctuary. Rheesa snapped into action, handing him the ransom note, "That note specifies Industrial. Now, I can't go there unless I'm one of two very definitive people. The Queen of Albion, or Finn Grace." She moved into the dressing room, and changed behind a screen, "So, if Cairn sees us, the story is that you heard about me from the guard and hired me to help you get your nephew back, got it?" He nodded, "Good, now let's go."

She zeroed in on a deserted alleyway on the map that was in the center room. All of a sudden, they were there. The two of them followed the directions on the note and, not surprisingly, ran smack into Cairn on the way.

"Finn!?" he exclaimed.

_Damn. _"Cairn!" Rheesa answered.

"What are you... hey that's th' guy that was asking about ya before!"

"Um... Yeah, look, I don really have much time to explain, I'll- I'll explain tonight, 'kay?" Rheesa began to walk past him, praying desperately that he would just let it go. Of course, he didn't.

"No, whate'er it is that yer doin', I'm comin' too!" Rheesa glanced at Ben, who shrugged.

"Oh, fine. We'll explain on the way, come on!"

* * *

"Yer after Nigel Ferret!?"

"Ssssh! Yes, Ferret took Mr. Black, here's, nephew. He hired me to help him get the boy back." Rheesa lied, using her own last name instead of Ben's.

"You get yerself into th' weirdest situations, Finn..." Cairn sighed.

"Yeah, tell me about it. Anyway, this should be th' place." They approached the door of one of the row houses across from the Orphanage. Kicking it, Rheesa shouted, "Nigel Ferret? We're here regardin' Quentin! Open up!"

The door creaked open and the man who opened it grunted and pointed to the hatch in the back of the room. The group followed him down into the sewers, where Ferret was waiting, surrounded by a group of mercenaries.

"Well, well, well. If I didn't know better I'd say you were the younger brother of the man who owes me quite a bit of coin." Ferret identified Ben.

"Apparently so much so that when he dies you go after his widow and her son?" Ben snapped.

"Give us the boy, Ferret." Rheesa demanded.

"I don't think so, lovey. Lads, perform the specific services for which I employ you. Expeditiously." The man sneered. His men just looked at him dumbly, "Kill them! Fast!"

He retreated behind a door and a few minutes later sat cowering at the head of Ben's rifle.

"Where. Is. Quentin?" Ben asked, menacingly.

"He-he's not here, all right? The thing is he's actually not on the premises, exactly, at the present time. He's incarcerated within a nearby... facility, shall we say. That access hatch will provide you with... well, access." Ferret explained.

Rheesa drew her pistol and trained it on the man, "You two go and get him. I'll stay."

"No," both Ben and Cairn said at the same time. They glanced at each other for a second then back at Rheesa, "Not alone!" Ben continued.

"I'm _more_ than just a girl. I'm Finn Grace." she said, attempting to console Cairn while implying to Ben that she was also a Hero, "I think I can manage watching one person. Go."

Ben smiled apologetically and grabbed Cairn, cutting off all of the man's protests. They disappeared down the hatch and Rheesa turned her attention back to Ferret.

_'Jasper,'_ she called through the Guild Seal, _'Contact Walter and Page and have them get a few men down here to take Nigel Ferret into custody.'_

_'At once, Madam.'_ came the reply.

* * *

Back at the castle, having made their excuses to Cairn, Rheesa and Ben delivered Quentin back to his mother's arms. Anna decided to stay in Bowerstone after hearing Nigel Ferret was behind bars and the two of them spent a few nights in the castle while Anna looked for a job in the market.

Rheesa retired back to her room and flopped on the couch unceremoniously. Fairly soon she began to hear whispers coming from outside her door, she couldn't tell what they were saying but she thought she heard at least Walter and Page's voices. Then; there was a _bang_, followed by silence. She was just about to get up to go check when she heard someone shush them and whoever it was knocked on the door. When she opened it, the only person standing there was Ben. She glanced around in confusion, _I could have sworn I heard those two... Huh. I must be going crazy._ she thought. Looking up at Ben, "What is it? Come in."

He seemed... actually nervous. He held one hand behind his back and scratched his head with the other. Rheesa had never seen him nervous around her before, "Princess." he said, greeting her.

"What's gotten into you, Ben? What do you have in your hand?" She tried to reach around behind him and get whatever it was. He held her back and chuckled.

"Okay, hang on. Let me at least try to do this like I practiced." he began, "I wanted... I wanted to thank you. For helping Anna. I couldn't have done it without you. So, thank you." Rheesa smiled and was expecting him to hand her the assumed gift that he was hiding, but his hand didn't move.

"You're... welcome? Ben, I would help you no matter what." she said. The soldier shut his eyes and took a deep breath. All of a sudden, he dropped to one knee.

"Rheesa Black, Princess, Queen, the most amazing woman in my life, I would do anything for you." His hand came around and held a tiny box. Opening it, he continued, "Will you marry me?"


	9. And So The Bells Tolled

Just before...

"Go on, boy, knock on the door already!" the tiny mountain dweller urged. Ben stood at the door to Rheesa's room, hand poised to knock, surrounded by their friends.

"I bet you ten silvers he doesn't have the guts." Page said to Annabelle.

"I-I do too!" the captain whispered fiercely.

"Ooh, wait, wait! Let me see the ring!" Anna begged. Ben sighed and pulled the tiny box out of his pocket, "I can't believe little Ben is all grown up and going to propose!"

"I do not quite understand the meaning of the ring. In Aurora, if one wished to stay with another for the rest of their lives, they would simply do so." Kalin mused.

"You don't have anything similar to marriage?" Page asked.

"We used to. But that, among many other traditions, was lost to the Crawler."

Ben smiled nervously, "Ahh, as I thought. I really should wait until _after_ the attack..."

"Oh no, you are _not_ backing out of this now!" his sister whispered firmly, blocking him from walking away.

Walter, who had been silent until then, put a hand on the younger man's shoulder, "Ben." Everyone else quieted down, "I've known you for a long time..."

Ben took a deep breath, bracing himself, "Here it comes... Go ahead, I can take it."

"I just want to know if you really understand what you're about to do. Rheesa is a queen. If you do this, you would have to be the king that can support her, and Albion."

"I know." was all the captain said.

"And? Is that all you have to say?" A new voice joined the hushed conversation, Logan approached from around the corner. As soon as they heard him, everyone was instantly on guard, "Now, don't kick up a fuss. I was just on my way to give my _sister_ a report on the treasury when I happened to overhear your rather poor attempt at secrecy." He looked glaringly down at Ben, "You, a _captain_ in the royal army, a captain only so promoted because of his familiarity with his commanding officer-"

Ben grabbed the front of Logan's shirt and slammed him angrily against the wall, "Don't you _dare_ insult Major Swift, he was a better man than you will _ever_ be!" he spat.

"Oh dear, _King Ben_ has such a temper!" Logan sneered back.

"Enough, both of you!" Walter forced them apart, "Ben, I hate to agree with him, but Logan has a point. Most royal marriages are planned for political advantages. Rheesa gains nothing like that from marrying you, if anything, it puts her at a disadvantage. Some nobles will look down on her for choosing a soldier, a low-born soldier, over her noble suitors." he explained.

"Dear Avo, you guys are treating me like I'm a buffoon!"

"You are a buffoon." Page deadpanned.

Ben paused a moment, "Okay, I'll give you that one, but that doesn't mean I haven't thought about this _a lot_. And what I came to is that I don't care what's asked of me. Because if I don't do this, Rheesa will shoulder it all. If I can do anything that would lighten her load, I'll do it. I'll be the king _she_ needs."

The group was silent for a long moment, then Page smirked, "I'm knocking."

"Eh? Ah, wait-!" Too late, the dark-skinned woman had already knocked and shushed everyone. They all moved around the corner instantly, leaving the captain alone when Rheesa opened the door.

* * *

Over the next few weeks the castle was bustling with excitement. The Queen was engaged! The couple had made a formal announcement, however, Rheesa decided to hold off the wedding itself until after the attack. There was just too much to do to be worried about all the formalities of a royal wedding. Of course, everyone else had a different idea.

"Having the wedding before the attack would be good for the people! Many of them believe that this darkness will swallow everything, having a wedding will tell the people that you are confident we'll get through this. It would also help you to have a king at your side." Hobson argued.

"Hobson, I want to be able to concentrate on protecting my country right now, not a wedding." the queen sighed.

"You will barely notice it's being planned! I will work tirelessly with Jasper to plan it for you, you will hardly have to do a thing!"

"I hate to agree with him, but he is right. The people could use some happiness, especially now since the attack is only three months away." Page put in.

"Please don't side with him, Page..." Rheesa pleaded.

"Hah! You two will be the talk of the kingdom! Why does it matter if it's a bit sooner?" Sabine chuckled.

"Remind me again why you're all here?"

"Oh, don't worry about them. If you really don't want to have the wedding sooner, I'm not going to make you." Ben said.

"Thank you, Ben. Sometimes it feels like you're the only one on my side." the queen smiled at her husband-to-be, "But I know you want to have the wedding sooner too. So fine." she continued, "Go ahead, Jasper, Hobson, plan my wedding."

"Oh, _thank you_ Your Majesty! You will not regret this decision!" the fat butler gushed, his face lit up like a lantern.

"Avo, I hope not."

"Wonderful! Oh, I do love planning weddings!" Jasper said.

"It should take place in the gardens." Hobson started.

"Yes, I agree, and there should be..." the two butlers continued to eagerly discuss the details as Rheesa chuckled quietly to herself.

"Are you sure?" Ben asked her softly.

"Yes. The wedding, marrying you, makes me so incredibly happy. It makes me feel like I can do anything. It's not a big deal to have it a bit sooner."

"Princess..."

Rheesa laughed, "Are you ever going to call me by my name?"

"What? Too old for a nickname?" She just smiled and leaned forward to kiss him on the cheek.

"I have things to do. I love you and I'll see you later."

"Have fun." Ben replied, knowing that she had court sessions. She stuck her tongue out at him as she left the room.

* * *

Through the next month, the wedding preparations went swimmingly. Almost all of the guests had been invited. The public was invited as well but those who actually knew Rheesa or Ben received a special pin in the shape of the Guild Seal, which let them into the castle for the reception afterward, and gave them seats during the event. There were only two left on the list to invite and Rheesa wanted to do that in person. The only two who knew her as Finn Grace.

"Hey Finn, y'know I've been wondering..." Cairn began, as they started their usual night of work, "You 'n I 'ave been workin' here for a couple months now... You 'n your sisters still in trouble? You must've been able to pay off yer debt by now."

"Huh? Oh, well, ah... Yeah, th' debt's paid off, but... I still gotta feed four mouths." Rheesa answered smoothly.

"Oh yeah. So where do ya live?"

"Ummm..."

"What's wrong? Wait... Do ya even 'ave a place? Aw, Finny... why didn't ya tell me?" the man asked, getting carried away, "Okay, tonight. We're gonna go get yer sisters and yer gonna come live in my house. S'only m' mom 'n I, 'm sure she'd enjoy a little company."

"Rheesa began to laugh, "No, no, I... we have a place." she stopped him.

"Huh? W-well now I feel like a fool..."

She sighed, "Actually, I... have something to tell you guys." Cairn fell silent and Barlos looked over, putting down what he had been working on, "I... well, I can't really explain it right now, but..." She took a deep breath, "Were you two thinking of going to the Queen's wedding next week?"

"Huh!?" Cairn started.

"I know it sounds weird..."

"I was planning on going, yes." Barlos answered stoically.

"And you, Cairn?"

"I, uh... well I thought I might check it out... There'd be nothing to do that day otherwise." he answered.

"Please go! There's something I want you to see."

"At the Queen's wedding?" the young man asked.

"Well, yes. Oh, and wear these when you go." She handed each of them gold pins in the shape of the Guild Seal.

"Wh-? These're... gold? Where did you...?"

"Don worry 'bout it! Just make sure you come!" With that, Rheesa turned and sped away, leaving two very confused men in her wake.

* * *

The day of the wedding...

"Oh dear Avo, Sora!" the queen called, "Bring that back!" The collie had run off with one of her shoes.

"Ah, Your Majesty, don't move!" Anna squealed, almost sticking her with the needle she was using to adjust the queen's dress. Rheesa pouted, returning to her stoic pose.

"Please just call me Rheesa! We're going to be related soon, anyway."

"O-oh, I guess you're right... Rheesa..." she laughed and turned to one of the maids assisting her, "Could you send someone to get that shoe back? She's going to need it." The woman nodded and scampered off, nearly running into Walter on her way out. As soon as he saw Rheesa, he stopped and stared.

"Your mother would be so proud of you. You look beautiful." he said, after a moment.

Rheesa smiled over her shoulder, "Thanks, Walter! Were you at my mother's wedding too?"

"I was at the royal wedding when she married your father, yes, but I hadn't known her at the time of her first wedding."

"First wedding?"

"Ah, yes, she never talked about that much. Way back when she was adventuring as a Hero, she married a man named Sevann. He and their son met a terrible fate. If you want, I can tell you about that later, we really should..."

"We have plenty of time! I want to hear about it now! Please, Walter? There's still at least an hour to go before Jasper's even letting me out of this room!" Rheesa pleaded.

"All right, all right. Where do I start..." He sat down, "Well, as you know, your mother was saved when she was very young by the blind seer, Theresa. Theresa raised Queen Sparrow in a gypsy camp next to Bower Lake and it was there that she met and grew up with a gypsy boy by the name of Sevann. He was an adventurer, just like Sparrow, so when she found out that she was a Hero, he traveled with her through many of her adventures. They finally married and soon after that, the Hero of Bower Lake had a son. Of course, then someone had to stay at home to raise little Ventus, and Sparrow was called away to fight Lucian. She was gone for 10 long years and when she finally returned, she had changed. She still loved her husband and son greatly, but thoughts of Lucian and her time in the Spire plagued her mind. When Theresa contacted her with Lucians whereabouts, she and the other three Heroes went to defeat him once and for all. That was the last time the queen saw her family. The Heroes confronted Lucian atop the remains of the old Heroes Guild, by then, Lucian had sent out assassins and Sevann and Ventus had been murdered."

Rheesa sat in silence for a long moment, "I can see why she didn't talk about it."

"Yes, she never quite let go of those two. Your father understood that, that's why she married him, this was after she had become Queen." Walter continued.

There was a slight knock on the door, startling Rheesa, "Yes, come in!"

Logan entered with a scowl, "Your dear husband is so nervous he can't sit still. But other than that, everything's ready."

Rheesa smiled at him, "Thanks, Logan, I believe we're all set here too, right, Anna?"

"Umm... Sora still has your shoe..."

Rheesa glanced down at her bare feet and burst out laughing, "I'd totally forgotten! Sora!" She whistled. Her loyal collie came bounding past Logan and barked happily through the shoe in his mouth, "Drop it." she said, point to the ground. All too happily the hound let the shoe fall and ran around Rheesa a few times, continuing to bark. The shoe had seen better days. Covered in dog slobber, chew marks, ripped, and from the dirt it looked like it had been buried and dug back up as well, "Okay, not wearing that." the queen decided.

"Oh what do we do? You can't just go out barefoot!" Anna said, "_Why_ do we not have a spare pair? It's a royal wedding!"

Again, there was a knock, only the door was already open. A maid stood in the doorway, "It's time!" she said excitedly.

"We're having a bit of a wardrobe malfunction..." Mrs. Finn started.

"It's fine, I'll just go barefoot." Rheesa shrugged. Anna's face turned white and Walter guffawed, "Why not? It'll be fun." She grinned. The queen hopped down from the pedestal she'd been posing on, for Anna to adjust her dress, and moved past Logan to follow the maid. He caught her arm for a split second.

"You look beautiful, sister." he whispered. The queen smiled and leaned up to kiss him on the cheek.

* * *

Meanwhile...

"Wooo, calm down, Benny boy, you'll do fine..." Ben muttered to himself as he meandered around the castle just trying to calm his nerves. Passing a window, he noticed a commotion down at the gates. The guards seemed to be arguing with two men that were trying to get in. Probably against his better judgment, as he knew the ceremony was starting soon, Ben went down to investigate.

"Who did you steal those pins from? Tell us now!" one of the guards ordered.

"Look, we were _given_ them by a friend, 'm no thief!" the younger man shot back. It took Ben a second but he suddenly realized who the two men were. It was Cairn and Barlos.

_So, Rheesa actually ended up inviting them._ the captain thought, chuckling to himself, "Is there a problem here, soldier?" he asked the guard as he approached. The two guards fumbled to salute him.

"Y-Your Majesty! Er... These two have Guild Seal pins, my lord, but this one's," Here he pointed at Cairn, "An urchin from Industrial. They must've stole the pins from someone, we figgered."

Cairn squinted at Ben, "Aren't you... Wait, you're the soldier that Finn wus helpin'! You're-!" he trailed off, too stunned to believe that Ben was the queen's soon-to-be husband.

"This is the King! You'll speak to him with more respect!" the guard shouted.

"No, no, I'm not King yet." Ben grinned, "And I believe I can clear this issue up. These two didn't steal those pins, the queen, herself, invited them." The guards clammed up, "These are honored guests, as are all who attend today, even those who don't have pins." the captain finished pointedly. The guards hastily saluted and let the two men pass.

"What did ya mean, the queen invited us? It was Finn who gave us th' pins." Cairn asked.

"Oh, I wouldn't want to ruin her surprise. You'll find out soon enough." Ben laughed, "Now, if you'll excuse me, it looks like the ceremony's going to start, I don't want to be late for my own wedding!"

* * *

Within every lifetime there are moments of greatness, even perfection, some solitary, but others shared. On a sunny morning, under a clear sky, the villagers crowded together to witness two people stand and declare their love for each other. Some said they were a strange couple, others that they saw a story of true love... Only time would tell.


End file.
